The 70-year-old law professor, who belongs to the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party, won the presidential runoff with a significant lead over her opponent, incumbent social democrat Stevo Pendarovski, receiving nearly 65% of the vote.
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova elected North Macedonia’s first woman president Read more
After Cyprus and Malta, Croatia is the third E.U. member state to recognize the crime of femicide, which is defined as the killing of a woman or girl, in particular by a man and on account of her gender. The legislation will also increase the prison sentence for rape from one to five years to three to eight, and victims will have the option to give testimony via videocall rather than attending in person.
Croatia approves law to criminalize femicide Read more
Child marriage is now illegal in Zambia, thanks to the new Marriage (Amendment) Act. The landmark amendment defines a child as a “person who has attained, or is below, the age of eighteen years”. It also states that any marriage between persons where either is a child is now void. Although the practice has become less common in recent years, the UNFPA and UNICEF reported that in 2018, 29% of all young women in Zambia aged 20–24 married before 18 years old, and 5% before turning 15.
Zambia passes landmark law amendment ending child marriage Read more
The European Union has reached a historic agreement to protect women from different forms of violence, including female genital mutilation, forced marriages, and online harassment. Violence against women and girls is one of the most systematic and common human rights violations globally. According to the European Council, one in three women in Europe has experienced physical or sexual violence and 600,000 have undergone female genital mutilation.
E.U. reaches first-ever agreement to eliminate various forms of violence against women Read more
Women in Turkey can use their own surnames after they marry, now that a rule forcing them to take their husband’s surname has been overturned. Article 187 of the Turkish civil code previously stated that a woman had to take her husband’s surname upon marriage, however she could use her own surname first “with a written application to the marriage officer or later to the civil registry office.” The new decision by the Turkish Constitutional Court came into effect on January 28, following a ruling in April 2023.
Women in Turkey win right to keep surnames after marriage Read more
The amendment follows similar rulings in Denmark and Spain, where the law was recently changed to define rape as sexual assault without explicit consent.
Switzerland amends law to legally recognize that sex without consent is rape Read more
Under the new law, people found guilty of assaulting a current or former partner will face fines or prison time, and sexual offenders will not be eligible for early release.
Uzbekistan adopts landmark legislation on domestic violence Read more
Working in partnership with the government, Educate Girls operates in over 20,000 villages serving adolescent girls and young women who have permanently dropped out of school.
New project to bring education to 10 million girls in rural India Read more
Coercion, the use or threat of force, or the inability to defend oneself will no longer be the only conditions for a crime to be considered rape after the Slovenian parliament passed amendments to the penal code on June 5.
Slovenia defines sex without consent as rape Read more
The initiative is a joint collaboration between the Palestinian startup Young Explorer, an online platform that offers consultations and information to parents of children with difficulties, and the Pakistani-Saudi technology group Educast.
More than 150 women doctors worldwide offer virtual care to Palestinians Read more
