🔗 Share this article Five Critical Landmark Occurrences in the Attack on the Rights of Females in the Past Year. In the previous year, organisations advocating for women's rights were preparing for a return of Donald Trump to office. The ensuing chaos was largely unforeseen. The sheer number and rapid pace of presidential directives issued from the White House were regarded as a deliberate tactic to overwhelm and create panic. The tactic proved effective – there was chaos, resentment, and burnout as organisations scrambled to plug the hole left by a freeze on international development funds. But that was just the beginning. The Trump administration has been the primary force, supported by fervent lobbying efforts by far-right organisations capitalizing on the climate to strengthen global ties with like-minded governments. This opposition to progressive rights signifies a transnational grouping of political leaders, religious institutions, civil society groups as well as affluent financiers and clans that work to dismantle advances on numerous fronts. Areas targeted involve reproductive choice, queer and transgender freedoms, diverse family models, and honest sex ed. They pursue this agenda via lobbying governments, supporting court cases, discrediting international efforts to push for parity, disseminating propaganda, and supporting ideologically-matched groups. We analyze five episodes that impacted the welfare, autonomy, and survival of girls and women. The Demise of a Major Aid Agency In early spring, six weeks after a key American development organization is its funds are blocked, causing widespread distress, a top American diplomat announces that a vast majority of the organization's initiatives will be axed. American foreign service officers, former presidents and humanitarian and health experts condemn the news, warning that fatalities will ensue. Human rights advocates say that the demise of the agency is more than a funding crisis, it is a brutal assault on fundamental freedoms and birth control and maternal healthcare. A multitude of agencies say women and girls will be disproportionately affected by waning support, especially in conflict areas. As the year ends, evidence indicates how hundreds of thousands of people have already died from illness, famine, inadequate obstetric services, and violence against women, with millions more to come. Two other major donor nations follow with their own cuts. A director of a global justice organization says a decision to slash billions in overseas assistance is an attempt to placate a powerful partner. Conservative Religious Groups Lobby at UN Women Meeting In the same month, several Christian-right organisations meet in an upmarket New York hotel for a two-day conference held in parallel with the international conference on women's rights. It is an forum to discuss methods on how to counter the UN's progressive policies. They are in optimistic frame of mind as they applaud new Washington directives on gender, diversity and abortion. Meanwhile, the UN secretary general opens the women’s summit with a somber alert that “the poison of patriarchy” is returning, after a analysis demonstrates that groups opposing progressive rights are systematically eroding longstanding consensus on fundamental freedoms for women around the world. Summits Promoting Conservative Norms Over the summer, a sequence of gatherings in Africa themed around the conventional household and state autonomy sparks alarm among equality campaigners. In early May, a president and first lady open a significant conference to combat what they label external influences undermining local norms. A few days later, another Pan-African conference on family values is held. Both events are attended by leading Western campaigners against gender ideology, including presidents of prominent organizations. One speaker exhorts African NGOs to resist “radical global social engineering” of international organizations. In June, a major religious institution hosts a family strengthening conference in the region, an event that pro-choice campaigners say has become a stage for criticizing gender equality. Advocates remark that the scale of their presence has increased markedly. Contraceptive Destruction Order As health facilities across Africa report they are depleting their stocks of family planning supplies, including emergency kits for survivors of sexual violence, the US announces in midsummer plans to destroy a vast stockpile of birth control held in a storage facility in Belgium. A major reproductive health federation states that their destruction will deny countless females from contraceptive supplies, and lead to a public health crisis of unwanted pregnancies. The organization labels the plan an ideological decision “about forcing a conservative worldview globally” and “a calculated move to control fertility”. A renowned doctors' group calls it “cruel and irresponsible”. Aid groups propose purchasing the contraceptives so they can be distributed to those in need, but the US declines every proposal. The situation remains unresolved as local authorities will not allow the destruction of viable medicines. ‘Global Gag Rule’ Expanded Reinstating the Mexico City Policy, which cuts American funding for groups that provide, advocate for or advise on abortion services overseas, is standard practice for certain US administrations. It was anticipated when the rule was reinstated in January. The administration also signed onto a conservative consensus document. But in the autumn, the US announces it intends to extend the restrictions to include governments and multilateral organisations in addition to NGOs, and to cover diversity programmes. More details on the policy's widened application are anticipated next year. A leader in global maternal health says extending the reach will have “catastrophic impacts”. Pro-choice activists fear that fresh American assistance deals being arranged with states on the continent will become dependent on agreeing to the expanded global gag.
In the previous year, organisations advocating for women's rights were preparing for a return of Donald Trump to office. The ensuing chaos was largely unforeseen. The sheer number and rapid pace of presidential directives issued from the White House were regarded as a deliberate tactic to overwhelm and create panic. The tactic proved effective – there was chaos, resentment, and burnout as organisations scrambled to plug the hole left by a freeze on international development funds. But that was just the beginning. The Trump administration has been the primary force, supported by fervent lobbying efforts by far-right organisations capitalizing on the climate to strengthen global ties with like-minded governments. This opposition to progressive rights signifies a transnational grouping of political leaders, religious institutions, civil society groups as well as affluent financiers and clans that work to dismantle advances on numerous fronts. Areas targeted involve reproductive choice, queer and transgender freedoms, diverse family models, and honest sex ed. They pursue this agenda via lobbying governments, supporting court cases, discrediting international efforts to push for parity, disseminating propaganda, and supporting ideologically-matched groups. We analyze five episodes that impacted the welfare, autonomy, and survival of girls and women. The Demise of a Major Aid Agency In early spring, six weeks after a key American development organization is its funds are blocked, causing widespread distress, a top American diplomat announces that a vast majority of the organization's initiatives will be axed. American foreign service officers, former presidents and humanitarian and health experts condemn the news, warning that fatalities will ensue. Human rights advocates say that the demise of the agency is more than a funding crisis, it is a brutal assault on fundamental freedoms and birth control and maternal healthcare. A multitude of agencies say women and girls will be disproportionately affected by waning support, especially in conflict areas. As the year ends, evidence indicates how hundreds of thousands of people have already died from illness, famine, inadequate obstetric services, and violence against women, with millions more to come. Two other major donor nations follow with their own cuts. A director of a global justice organization says a decision to slash billions in overseas assistance is an attempt to placate a powerful partner. Conservative Religious Groups Lobby at UN Women Meeting In the same month, several Christian-right organisations meet in an upmarket New York hotel for a two-day conference held in parallel with the international conference on women's rights. It is an forum to discuss methods on how to counter the UN's progressive policies. They are in optimistic frame of mind as they applaud new Washington directives on gender, diversity and abortion. Meanwhile, the UN secretary general opens the women’s summit with a somber alert that “the poison of patriarchy” is returning, after a analysis demonstrates that groups opposing progressive rights are systematically eroding longstanding consensus on fundamental freedoms for women around the world. Summits Promoting Conservative Norms Over the summer, a sequence of gatherings in Africa themed around the conventional household and state autonomy sparks alarm among equality campaigners. In early May, a president and first lady open a significant conference to combat what they label external influences undermining local norms. A few days later, another Pan-African conference on family values is held. Both events are attended by leading Western campaigners against gender ideology, including presidents of prominent organizations. One speaker exhorts African NGOs to resist “radical global social engineering” of international organizations. In June, a major religious institution hosts a family strengthening conference in the region, an event that pro-choice campaigners say has become a stage for criticizing gender equality. Advocates remark that the scale of their presence has increased markedly. Contraceptive Destruction Order As health facilities across Africa report they are depleting their stocks of family planning supplies, including emergency kits for survivors of sexual violence, the US announces in midsummer plans to destroy a vast stockpile of birth control held in a storage facility in Belgium. A major reproductive health federation states that their destruction will deny countless females from contraceptive supplies, and lead to a public health crisis of unwanted pregnancies. The organization labels the plan an ideological decision “about forcing a conservative worldview globally” and “a calculated move to control fertility”. A renowned doctors' group calls it “cruel and irresponsible”. Aid groups propose purchasing the contraceptives so they can be distributed to those in need, but the US declines every proposal. The situation remains unresolved as local authorities will not allow the destruction of viable medicines. ‘Global Gag Rule’ Expanded Reinstating the Mexico City Policy, which cuts American funding for groups that provide, advocate for or advise on abortion services overseas, is standard practice for certain US administrations. It was anticipated when the rule was reinstated in January. The administration also signed onto a conservative consensus document. But in the autumn, the US announces it intends to extend the restrictions to include governments and multilateral organisations in addition to NGOs, and to cover diversity programmes. More details on the policy's widened application are anticipated next year. A leader in global maternal health says extending the reach will have “catastrophic impacts”. Pro-choice activists fear that fresh American assistance deals being arranged with states on the continent will become dependent on agreeing to the expanded global gag.