Kim Wall, Afghanistan and Reproductive Rights

Women and girls changing their worlds — and ours. No Images? [Click here]( [Across Women's Lives]( Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Fear not, sign-up and receive your own copy weekly in your inbox. [Subscribe]( Letter from the Editor Hi everyone, Earlier this week, tragedy hit the journalism community when Copenhagen police found the dismembered body of 30-year-old Kim Wall, a Swedish freelance journalist who often reported on issues impacting women. This [Buzzfeed article]( is a beautiful tribute to who she was. Police suspect she was murdered while reporting a routine feature story from a Danish inventor's private submarine off Copenhagen’s coast. Many of us have commented on the [additional risks female freelancers face,]( and the dangers for women journalists that exist throughout the world — even in Denmark. This week we also saw the [latest dispatch]( from Iraqi journalist Zainab Salbi, who has been reporting from the homes of Yazidi women who survived ISIS. Zainab bring three decades of experience reporting on rape, starting in Bosnia, to her coverage as she keeps the focus on a critical international story. In women’s reproductive rights, Chilean courts [ruled this week]( that abortion be allowed in certain circumstances. Across the world, we see what happens in countries that try to control a woman’s womb: In the Philippines, [female gangs are trafficking in elixirs]( to end pregnancies. My colleague Patrick Winn did a stellar job in his investigation. Lastly, President Donald Trump on Monday declared that he was [escalating the US military presence]( in Afghanistan. Ms. magazine editor Kathy Spillar was a lone voice in asking what this might mean for women. “His comments about ‘not imposing our way of life' could be a way of discounting women’s rights in our foreign policy when convenient, or when categorized as “cultural” or “religious," instead of recognizing women’s fundamental human rights as an essential requisite for peace and security,” she wrote in an email. Coverage of Afghanistan in Ms. doesn’t parrot the generals, but rather focuses on the war efforts from an Afghan woman’s point of view. Head [over there]( and read it, or pitch them your own ideas. We’re heading into one of the last weekends of summer. My inspirer-in-chief — Margaret Fuller, a pioneering 19th century journalist and feminist — reminds us of the importance of reconnecting with nature and giving yourself time to reflect. Enjoy this [short piece]( from a brave journalist whose words still resonate. Warmly, Christina Asquith, editorial director of Across Women's Lives [This week from AWL.]( [Mexican women stand up to cyberattacks and vicious digital violence]( Indira Cornelio stands before two dozen women crowded into a downtown Mexico City community center. She has a question for them. “How many of you have had to purge your Facebook page?” she asks. “You know, deleting photos, unfriending people you don’t know.” After a pause, almost every woman’s hand up goes up. Nervous laughter spreads across the room. [Share via Twitter]( [Listen to the story]( [Inside the Philippines’ women-run crime ring selling abortion elixirs]( The drug deal takes place in the back of a sedan, parked near one of Manila’s most exalted cathedrals.The dealer, Elsa — not her real name — has brought her wares in a plastic shopping bag. At my request, she dumps the illicit inventory on the backseat for inspection. Out pours an astonishing variety of herbs and poultices. There is a gnarled root, the color of merlot and nubby with protrusions. Then a leafy plant that — if alive, Elsa says — would recoil from a human’s touch.Then she lays out what looks like potpourri and, finally, bits of ginger-colored tree bark. All of it is sold in little baggies, just like heroin or speed. “Boil all of this stuff in a pot,” Elsa says, “and give the liquid to a woman who has not received her period in up to two months.” [Share via Twitter]( Chile eases one of the world's strictest abortion bans The Constitutional Court of Chile made an historic move this week, easing the country's total ban on abortion. Chile is one of seven countries in the world that forbid abortion under all circumstances. The new regulations allow abortion under three circumstances: if there is pregnancy through a rape, if the mother’s life is at risk or if the fetus is not expected to survive pregnancy. Listen to the full story [here](. [Instant divorce is unconstitutional in India, finally]( According to a Muslim custom that is rooted in tradition but not Islamic law, men have to say just three words to their wives if they want to dissolve their marriages. “Talaq, talaq, talaq” — and he’s divorced. But in India, a group of women petitioned the Indian Supreme Court to end the practice. This week, the court ruled 3-2 that the three-word divorce was unconstitutional and illegal. [Share via Twitter]( This week on Facebook As we wrapped up our POSITIVE series on HIV and young women in South Africa, we shared with you five ways you can help fight HIV/AIDS in South Africa and globally. Check out the post [here]( and become part of the solution to this problem. [Like us on Facebook]( Across Our News Feeds 👀 Weekend reads and dinner party fodder NY Times [Evidence of a toxic environment for women in economics]( For years, women economists — and others — have sensed they were working in in a hostile environment. This researcher decided to look into it, and what she found was disturbing. The Guardian [Are old photos of ‘Westernized’ Afghan women driving Trump’s foreign policy?]( In a televised address to troops in Virginia on Monday night, President Trump outlined his plan to recommit the US to war in Afghanistan. His speech marked a U-turn from his previous stance on Afghanistan. During his presidential campaign, Trump called for a military withdrawal from the country. So what helped to change his mind? Well, for one, apparently a photo of Afghan women wearing miniskirts. Public Religion Research Institute [Support for impeachment grows; Half of Americans believe Russia interfered with election]( Want Trump impeached? More women than men say YES. NPR [The hidden world Of Afghanistan's nameless women]( In 2015, Kiana Hayeri was living in Kabul and noticed something strange. She was helping her roommate, an Australian TV producer, with a script translation. The main character, a mother of three who divorces her abusive husband, was always described in a way that referred to a male relative. There was no word in Dari, a language spoken in Afghanistan, to describe a single mother. "They are fighting against a culture that doesn't even recognize them." Across Women’s Lives is PRI’s ambitious multi-platform journalism and engagement initiative about the connection between the empowerment of women and girls, and economic development and improved health around the world. This newsletter highlights our reporting and the work of PRI staff in calling attention to the ways that women are shaping a better future for their communities. [Donate Today]( PRI Public Radio International Hear a Different Voice [Like]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](