myMADRE

New Report Underscores Importance of Addressing Sexual Violence in Haiti

A new report on the high level of sexual violence against displaced women and girls in Haiti has just been released. The report was authored by our friends at NYU Law’s Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) and the Global Justice Clinic (GJC). Its findings link the high levels of rape to a [...]

Midwives For Peace: Empowering Birth Experiences Last a Lifetime

Midwives for Peace, our sister organization, is a grassroots group of midwives who provide pre-natal care and childbirth support for women living in the West Bank and Israel. They hold regular meetings that bring together Palestinian and Israeli midwives to join in friendship amidst conflict; there they discuss women’s health, offer support, [...]

Responding to Obama’s 2012 State of the Union

On the Financial Crisis: “It was wrong. It was irresponsible. And it plunged our economy into a crisis.” It’s clear that the terms of the national discussion on economic justice and the financial crisis have shifted dramatically. And we have the Occupy Wall Street movement to thank for that. Time and [...]

Women Standing Up to Violence in Guatemala City

In December 1, 2011, a woman from the community of Barcenas, on the outskirts of Guatemala City, was violently assaulted and left unconscious, bleeding from severe wounds. With the support of MADRE, our partners at the Women Workers’ Committee in Barcenas provided her with emergency support to make [...]

International Criminal Court Decision Targets Four in Kenya

Today, the International Criminal Court ruled that four Kenyans will stand trial for their roles in the post-election violence that erupted in Kenya in 2007 and 2008. The four men include former Education Minister William Ruto, radio broadcaster Joshua Arap Sang, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Cabinet Secretary Francis Muthaura. Two of the four [...]

Roe vs. Wade Turns 39

Today, January 22, marks the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court verdict. This landmark decision legalized abortion in the United States. Yet, 39 years later, many women still lack access to safe and legal reproductive health care services in the United States. Not only is a woman’s right to health care not guaranteed, it [...]

Sex Workers’ Rights Are Human Rights

Like all people, sex workers are protected under international human rights standards. Their job as sex workers should not bar them from accessing health care, exercising their rights or reporting abuse. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes the rights to be free from harm, to access adequate health care and [...]

Remember Guantanamo

Ten years ago, the Bush Administration transported 20 prisoners to Guantanamo. It was the beginning of another ugly chapter in US history. Since then, hundreds of detainees have faced torture, denial of trial and other human rights violations. Yesterday, I traveled to Washington, DC to join a protest demanding the closure of [...]

Sexual Exploitation in Post-Earthquake Haiti

Two years ago on January 12, an earthquake devastated Haiti. The drastic increase in sexual violence in displacement camps has been well-documented since the disaster. But another face of the epidemic has emerged as a pressing issue: the sexual exploitation of displaced women and girls. Lack of economic opportunity and the loss of [...]

Ten Years of Torture: MADRE Condemns Human Rights Violations at Guantanamo

Today, on the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Guantanamo prison, MADRE denounces the continued unlawful imprisonment and human rights violations faced by detainees at the facility. On the first day of President Obama’s presidency, he made a commitment to shut down Guantanamo within a year. That promise has been broken. Three [...]