World Archives

Surrogacy Is Complicated—Then Add a Global Pandemic

At 37 weeks pregnant, Arina* doesn’t leave her Kiev apartment often. The pandemic ricocheting around the globe means the 28-year-old surrogate can’t ride the now-closed subway or tram to the city center. To pass the…

by Oksana Parafeniuk, Daniela Prugger

This article was originally published in Marie Claire.

A Transport Ban in Uganda Means Women are Trapped at Home with Their Abusers

Seconds after Veronica opened her eyes in the hospital, she knew who had put her there. Her body ached; her head throbbed. The night before, the 25-year-old mother-of-five was busy buying medication for her children…

by Louise Donovan

This article was originally published in CNN International.

The Pandemic’s Hidden Human Trafficking Crisis

For anyone familiar with the mechanisms and methods that drive trafficking, it’s obvious why rates of exploitation spike during international crises.

by Corinne Redfern

This article was originally published in Foreign Policy.

Coronavirus: Over 200% Surge In Links To Child Abuse Material Posted Online

Teams of undercover investigators tasked with identifying and removing webpages containing child abuse material have reported a massive spike.

by Corinne Redfern, Louise Donovan

This article was originally published in The Telegraph.

‘Don’t Have to Fight for Pennies’: New Zealand Safety Net Helps Sex Workers in Lockdown

The week before New Zealand went into full lockdown on 26 March, Lana*, 28, had taken a break from work at the high-end Wellington brothel where, since September, she had made around NZ$2,200 a month…

by Anna Louie Sussman

This article was originally published in The Guardian.

Sex Workers’ Dilemma amid Covid-19

At 6:30pm every evening, Emelda Ngieno’s alarm clock buzzes her out of a deep sleep. As the sun sets, she gets up, throws on tonight’s chosen outfit and heads to her designated location: Pipeline, a…

by Angela Oketch, Louise Donovan

This article was originally published in The Daily Nation.

Iran’s Nurses Are Martyrs to Trump’s Maximum Pressure

Dozens of nurses have been infected with COVID-19, in part as a result of restrictions imposed by the Trump administration.

by Negar Mortazavi

This article was originally published in Foreign Policy.

Experts Apply Lessons From Ebola to Ensure Girls Return to School Post-Pandemic

In April of 2015, after Ebola ravaged Sierra Leone and paralyzed West Africa, schools finally began reopening. Thousands of children eagerly returned to school after nine months stuck at home, but 13-year-old Isatu and her…

by Jessica Washington

Kenya’s Labor Market Wasn’t Made for a Pandemic

NAIROBI—For the past week, every morning, Akonya Shimeseru wakes up in her single-room home that she shares with her two children in Ongata Rongai, a town on the outskirts of Nairobi.

by April Zhu, Louise Donovan

This article was originally published in Foreign Policy.

Coronavirus Locks Down the Philippines, but Children Face Threat of Online Abuse

Wearing pajamas and a pair of plastic slip-on shoes, the 12-year-old girl crouched in a doorway and texted a friend to say she’d run away. It was raining, and the mud stuck to her flip-flops…

by Corinne Redfern

When You’re Pregnant During a Pandemic

On February 27, I summited Mount Kilimanjaro and immediately had a desperate urge to pee. I should have known then, squatting in the snow next to the sign marking the summit, that I was pregnant.…

by Sophia Jones

This article was originally published in The Atlantic.

‘You Are Beautiful’: the Kenyan Beauty Parlour Serving Female Heroin Users

Naima Said stands back and studies her handiwork. “Not quite,” the self-taught beauty therapist mumbles, her forehead furrowed in frustration. Then she delicately dabs her client’s eyelid with a squishy makeup sponge. She’s not finished…

by Angela Oketch, Louise Donovan

This article was originally published in The Guardian.

Meet Beauty Therapist Saving Female Heroin Addicts

Housed in the Reachout Centre Trust, which helps Mombasa residents fight drug addiction, it opened last year with a view to attracting more female users to its services that include HIV testing, counselling, methadone treatment…

by Louise Donovan

This article was originally published in The Daily Nation.

In Afghanistan, Climate Change Complicates Future Prospects for Peace

Afghanistan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change, and one of the least equipped to handle what’s to come.

by Sophia Jones

This article was originally published in National Geographic.

The Movement Tackling Sexual Harassment at Kenya’s Universities

Diana perched on a brown bench in one of Nairobi University's large lecture theatres, twisting her fingers into pretzel-like shapes. She scanned the room. To her left, students waited eagerly to hear her story. To…

by Louise Donovan

This article was published in partnership with The Nation and Al Jazeera.

The World’s Mothers Are Watching Ever More Babies Die of Starvation

When 14-year-old Wounaba first found out that she was pregnant, she was excited—until the fear kicked in.

by Corinne Redfern

This article was originally published in Foreign Policy.

Gender Activists in a March Dubbed Usawa Demand Action Against GBV, Youth Empowerment, Women Land Rights

The march dubbed Usawa kicked-off at Uhuru Park’s freedom corner to President’s Uhuru Kenyatta’s office at Harambee House, where they delivered a petition on gender equality.

by Louise Donovan

This article was originally published in The Daily Nation.

Childhood Lost in Darkness

With weak protections against child marriage, Bangladesh has been named one of the most dangerous countries where girls can grow up in the world.

by Corinne Redfern

This article was originally published in The Dhaka Tribune.

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