The U.S. ranks as the 19th most dangerous country for women, 11th in maternal mortality, 30th in closing the gender pay gap, 75th in women’s political representation, and painfully lacks paid family leave and equal access to health care. But Ms. has always understood: Feminist movements around the world hold answers to some of the U.S.’s most intractable problems. Ms. Global is taking note of feminists worldwide.
Japan
+ Japanese theaters refuse to screen Oscar-nominated documentary on sexual assault
Shiori Ito’s Black Box Diaries — the first Oscar-nominated documentary by a Japanese director — has been celebrated worldwide but remains effectively blacklisted in Japan. The film, based on Ito’s 2017 memoir, details her alleged rape by prominent journalist Noriyuki Yamaguchi and the ensuing battle for justice that made her the face of Japan’s #MeToo movement. Yamaguchi denies the allegations.
Despite international acclaim, Japanese theaters refuse to screen the film, citing “legal concerns.” Former attorneys who represented Ito in her civil case claim she used unauthorized hotel CCTV footage and recordings, breaking a prior agreement not to release them. But Deadline reports that major theater chains — many owned by corporate groups with ties to hotels — are simply too afraid of controversy to touch it.
Ito argues the film’s suppression has less to do with legal risks and everything to do with Japan’s reluctance to confront sexual violence. “They know it’s no legal issue,” she told Deadline. “They’re more scared about the public voice.” Facing mounting pressure, she has agreed to re-edit parts of the film to protect identities.
While Black Box Diaries sparks global conversations, Ito points out that Japan remains unwilling to face its own reckoning. For Ito, the real victory isn’t awards — it’s breaking the silence. “This is my love letter to Japan,” she said. “I really wish one day I can screen my film, and my family can watch it.”
United Republic of Tanzania
+ A historic ruling in the African Court of Human and People’s Rights
On Feb. 5, 2025 the African Court of Human and People’s Rights, ruled that the government of Tanzania violated the right to education and the right to health of persons with albinism.
In September 2024 two public hearings in Tanzania were held for justice for victims and survivors of discrimnation, stemming from a first-of-its-kind case filed in 2018. It represented a historic and crucial juncture for advancing human rights for persons with albinism.
Although it is a relatively rare condition, albinism in Africa disproportionately affects people in poverty, and those with albinism face multiple and intersecting forms of stigma, discrimination and violence.
Lawyers at Georgetown’s O’Neill Institute, partnering with Under the Same Sun and the UN Independent Expert on Albinism, provided expertise to the court as amicus curiae. Their amicus brief, filed against the Tanzanian government on behalf of persons with albinism, played a key role in shaping the court’s final ruling.
The Court’s ruling marks a historic first in the African human rights system, and lawyers hope it will inspire other African nations to act against similar atrocities. They also hope it will push global health bodies like the WHO to ensure sunscreen access for people with albinism everywhere and shape disability rights jurisprudence to promote equality by tackling health discrimination.
Guatemala
+ Guatemala’s justice system turns blind eye to sexual violence and forced pregnancy crisis affecting girls under 14
Guatemala’s failure to prevent and address sexual violence has reportedly led to thousands of forced pregnancies among girls under 14, pushing them out of education and limiting their access to healthcare and justice. Between 2018 and 2024, nearly 15,000 girls under 14 gave birth, often as a result of rape, according to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF).
A Human Rights Watch report highlights systemic failures, including inadequate legal protections, poor healthcare access, and a justice system that dismisses most sexual violence cases. Survivors, especially in rural and Indigenous communities, face stigma, family pressure, and bureaucratic obstacles that prevent them from continuing their education or receiving social support.
Guatemala’s judicial system rarely holds perpetrators accountable—between 2018 and 2023, over 6,600 cases were dismissed, and convictions remain alarmingly low. Survivors are often sent back to their abusers, denied medical care, and left without reparations.
Urgent reforms are needed to protect girls, ensure access to comprehensive healthcare, and dismantle barriers to justice. Without immediate action, the report argues, Guatemala will continue failing its most vulnerable.
Spain
+ Police raid ends reign of major sex trafficking network in Spain
On Feb. 23, Spanish police announced the takedown of a vast human trafficking network that had reportedly lured over 1,000 women — mostly from Colombia and Venezuela — into Spain with fake job offers, only to trap them in a cycle of sexual exploitation.
Authorities arrested 48 suspects, including two Colombian women and a Spaniard believed to be the ringleaders. Strip club managers and taxi drivers who reportedly helped control the victims were also implicated. Raids in Alicante and Murcia shut down three strip clubs, freed 48 women from the eight different properties, and led to the seizure of nearly €1 million in frozen assets, €150,000 in cash, and 17 properties.
“On arrival in Spain they were transferred to clubs where they were sexually exploited and forced to work all hours,” police said, according to Reuters. Victims were reportedly kept under constant surveillance, allowed outside for only two hours a day, and forced to work under threats of violence and financial coercion. Six suspects remain in pre-trial detention.
Ukraine
+ Three years of all-out war in Ukraine have undone decades of progress in women’s rights, safety, and economic opportunities
This Febuary marks the third year since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. These three years of aggression have severely impacted Ukrainian women and girls, with over 1.8 million displaced and nearly 6.7 million in need of urgent humanitarian aid. The war has devastated a generation of women who now face increased gender-based violence, unemployment, increased domestic burdens, health effects, and a loss of rights.
Gender-based violence has surged by 36 percent since 2022, while women earn 41.4 percent less than men and in 2023 72.5 percent of women were unemployed. Unpaid care work has risen to 56 hours per week due to childcare facility closures.
In response to these challenges, Ukrainian women are rising as community leaders, humanitarian workers, and as entrepreneurs, with women now leading half of all new businesses in the country.
UN Women is providing vital support through humanitarian aid, psychosocial and legal assistance, protection services, and economic empowerment programs. They are calling for an increase in support of women’s rights and participation in shaping Ukraine’s future.
China
+ China’s ‘road-tripping auntie’ escapes an abusive marriage — and becomes a viral icon
For millions of Chinese women, Su Min isn’t just a social media star — she’s a symbol of freedom. The 60-year-old grandmother left an abusive husband, bought a VW hatchback, and has spent the last four years road-tripping solo across China, documenting her journey for millions of devoted followers who call her “auntie.”
Su’s life had been dictated by tradition — first supporting her brothers, then her husband, then her daughter and granddaughters. But nearly 40 years of marriage brought only emotional and physical abuse. Diagnosed with depression, she made a pact with her daughter: once the grandkids finished kindergarten, she would leave. A TikTok video of vanlifers gave her an idea — her escape route.
In 2019, she divorced her husband, paying a $21,000 USD settlement, and hit the road with her pension and a rooftop tent. Even China’s strict COVID-19 restrictions couldn’t stop her. She’s been on the road ever since, and was named one of BBC’s 100 most influential women in 2024, with followers cheering her on.
“Although women in every country are different, I would like to say that no matter what environment you are in, you must be good to yourself. Learn to love yourself, because only when you love yourself can the world be full of sunshine,” she told BBC.
Iraq
+ Iraq’s Supreme Court suspends controversial legislation that would have effectively allowed child marriage
On Feb. 4, the Iraqi Supreme Court suspended the implementation of three recently passed bills after lawmakers challenged the legality of the voting process. One of the suspended measures included an amendment to Iraq’s personal status law, which would expand the authority of Islamic courts over matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance.
Earlier drafts of the measure sparked concerns about child marriage, as certain interpretations of Islamic law permit marriage at a young age. The final version, however, states that both parties must be “adults” but does not clarify what age that entails.
Proponents (largely conservative Shiite lawmakers) argue that the amendments are a way to further align Islamic principles with the law, though women’s rights advocates say they would erase previous reforms that have sought to help keep women safe.
United States of America
+ Laken Riley Act targets immigrant women and families worldwide
On Jan.29, President Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, an anti-immigration act expanding mass detention– including for children and Deffered Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. The Act eliminates due process for undocumented immigrants, and grants states broad authority to challenge federal immigration policies.
Though presented as a public safety measure, the law disproportionately harms already marginalized immigrant women, increasing their risk of exploitation, family separation, and even death, while ignoring systemic inequalities that drive their migration and potentially discouraging access to essential services.
Advocacy groups like Intersections of Our Lives strongly oppose the Act for its harmful impact on communities, warning it enables human rights violations. Regina Davis Moss, CEO of In Our Own Voice, warns that undocumented women — especially those who are pregnant — must now choose between reproductive healthcare and the risk of deportation, which will increase maternal deaths, cause more children to be born into unsafe conditions, and widen the gap in access to vital healthcare.
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