"Every War is a War Against Children"
This month marked the most startling escalation in violence between Israel and Hamas since 2014. During Ramadan, Israeli police forces clashed with Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa compound. In retaliation, on May 10, Hamas launched rockets into Israel that were largely deflected by Israel’s Iron Dome. In response, Israel fired on densely-populated Gaza. There have been a number of disconcerting images, including a video of Palestinian children standing in rubble with their pet fish in a bowl. This issue has been painted as complicated and for politicians that might feel true. For Palestinian and Israeli children living through the conflict, however, it is simply terrifying. What can we do?
Crimes Against the Uyghurs in China
There are long standing allegations of human rights abuses against the Uyghurs in China and a new report highlights religious intolerance. The Congressional Research Service says, "By some estimates, between 2017 and 2020, Xinjiang authorities arbitrarily detained roughly 1.5 million Turkic Muslims, mostly Uyghurs and a smaller number of ethnic Kazakhs, in 're-education' centers." What can we do to help?
Equal Pay for Mother's Day
May 5th was Mom's Equal Pay Day. The date acknowledges the unequal pay status of mothers in the workplace. Claire Ewing-Nelson leads the National Women's Law Center's (NWLC) research on gender-based wage gaps. In discussing the significance of Mom's Equal Pay Day falling on May 5th this year, she told Good Morning America, "That means that moms had to work more than 16 months to make as much as dads were paid in 12 months." Has the pandemic worsened pay equity? What can we do to close this wage gap?
India's Battle Against COVID-19
This week the world saw a glimpse of what is happening in India: Photographs of mass cremations on rooftops, patients sleeping on the sidewalks outside of full hospitals, and people begging the world to send much needed aid, especially oxygen. How did COVID-19 surge so quickly in India and what can we do to help?
Profiles in Courage: Women in Afghanistan
The U.S. Department of State's annual International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award honors women who have "demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership" when advocating for democracy, justice, and human rights. At the ceremony in March, seven women from Afghanistan,* who were killed in 2020, were recognized posthumously. Who is killing women in Afghanistan? Will the U.S. and NATO's exit impact women and girls? How can we help?
Protecting Africa's Park Rangers and Wildlife for Earth Day
April 22 is Earth Day and Girl Friday will focus on the connection between conflict and environmental degradation. Around the world there is evidence that violent conflicts destroy wildlife. Land mines, deforestation, and poaching for profits are just a few root causes. In Virunga National Park, Africa's oldest protected park, decades of conflicts and environmental concerns continue unabated. What can we do to help the Rangers of Virunga National Park?