Maria Mendoza (name changed to protect her identity) is a former physics teacher, a women’s rights activist, and a new mother. On June 7, 2014, she was arrested by 20 paramilitary officers while on her way to buy milk for her 6-month old son. Her crime? Speaking up for the human rights of teachers in the Philippines – 80% of
Yesterday, we received this note from our Advisor and Member of Parliament-elect in Cambodia, Ms. Mu Sochua, upon her release from prison:
“The power of women’s networks cannot be undermined. These networks inside and outside Cambodia got rolling the minutes my colleagues and I were surrounded and finally arrested
In Cambodia, garment workers – 90% of who are young women from rural poor families – are striking to demand higher wages and humane work conditions.
The garment industry is Cambodia’s biggest export industry, generating over $5 billion in international sales for the country and employing approximately 500,000 people. Many workers were paid just $80 a month until this
Kamilia founded Institut Pelangi Perempuan (IPP) to use “edufuntainment” (comic books, magazines, youth clubs, poetry and social media) to challenge stereotypes and to empower young, queer women in her country.
A young activist herself, she also serves on the Board of International Lesbian and Gay Association Asia and is the founder of Indonesia’s first women’s boxing club for survivors of
The Situation: In 2011, an organization decided to bring legal action against the government’s illegal detention and mistreatment of seven undocumented women migrant sex workers. The women had been detained for eight months and denied medical care, contact with their family, translation services, and independent legal representation. One of the women was pregnant and gave birth in detention. The police
The Situation: Amidst an increasingly hostile environment for activists in the Philippines, threats against one indigenous woman activist escalated in 2011. Her husband was murdered in 2008 by a group of armed men for his opposition to proposed development projects. As she continued to attend press conferences and lobby to expose the injustice of development projects, a group of the
The Situation: After the fall of Suharto in 1999, a renewed conflict erupted in Indonesia that resulted in displacement and death of thousands. Special autonomy was granted to two provinces of Papua in 2001, but violence continued to escalate between security forces and local ethnic groups. In the provinces of Maluku and North Maluku, renewed religious violence broke out in
The Situation: Indonesian lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people have experienced increasing violence and discrimination in recent years. Strong religious and cultural norms inform the social and political climate. Both state actors and community members violate the rights of LGBT citizens. In spring 2011 the situation escalated when several transgender activists were targets of a brutal attack that left
The Situation: In 2011, the Cambodian government forced thousands of villagers from their farms and livelihoods and gave the land to a private corporation.
The Rapid Response: Women’s rights organization Strey Khmer reached out to Urgent Action Fund. Strey Khmer used a Rapid Response Grant to protect threatened activists, hold trainings for women on non-violent tactics and their rights and
