What’s Current: Outcry in South Africa after pregnant woman found stabbed and hanging from tree

  • The brutal murder of a woman in South Africa has sparked a national outcry over violence against women. Tshegofatso Pule was missing for four days before her body was found hanging from a tree. According to government data, a woman is killed every three hours in South Africa, prompting president Ramaphosa to declare the country as “one of the most unsafe places in the world to be a woman.”
  • A male lawmaker was appointed to Israel’s national Committee for the Advancement of Women & Gender Equality. Oded Forer took over as head of the committee despite a lack of experience. The Israeli feminist group Kulan condemned the decision in a response posted to Facebook:

“This comes at a time where Israeli women are facing a crisis, with domestic violence at an all-time high and the coronavirus exacerbating women’s social and economic inequality. More than ever, the Committee for the Advancement of Women needs a qualified and expert leader at the helm. This is not that.”

  • Nearly 3,700 cases of violence against women and children in the Philippines have been recorded during the first month of lockdown, according to a report by the Chief of National Police. The information comes on the heels of a recently published study revealing that the country has become the world’s largest known source of child sexual exploitation.
  • Women and girls in Fiji are forced to choose food over sanitary products due to a sharp rise in prices during the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent report from Plan International Australia also lists severe shortages of pads and tampons and lack of access to basic information about menstrual hygiene management as key challenges.
Genevieve Gluck

Genevieve Gluck is a writer and advocate for women's sex-based rights and creator of Women's Voices, an audio library dedicated to bringing awareness to feminist texts and speeches.