Top Ten Wins for Women in 2009

Protesters at a May 6, 2009 rally in the Dominican Republic against Article 30, a proposed constitutional provision that threatened to severely restrict reproductive health access. Although the provision eventually passed, extraordinary women-led efforts made opposition known publicly and drew international attention.

Photo by Lorena Espinoza Peña, courtesy of IWHC.
Sometimes, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the bad news about women’s issues we hear on a daily basis. From large to small, this past year has definitely seen its share of setbacks and sorrows. But 2009 has also been a year of victories and successes, progress and growth for women and women’s movements internationally.
The non-profit I work with, the International Women’s Health Coalition, has just issued “Top Ten Wins for Women’s Health and Rights“, a publication highlighting these achievements. With this list, we hope to both acknowledge and celebrate the positive developments for women that have happened all over the world this year, as well as to emphasize the interconnectedness of global efforts for change.
Though this list certainly highlights some positive developments from 2009, it doesn’t mean that the work surrounding those issues is “over”. As important as it is to celebrate victories surrounding women’s rights and health, it’s also important to acknowledge when there’s still much more work to be done. Click on any headline for a more detailed summary of each win that, in addition to highlighting the positive progress made on any given topic, also considers “what’s next”.
And now, without further ado, I present to you IWHC’s top ten international wins for women’s health and rights in 2009:

10) United Kingdom Upholds Women’s Right to Safe Abortion
In October, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) released its updated policy on safe and unsafe abortion, stating that access to safe abortion is both a “right” and “necessary.”
9) Sonke Gender Justice Network Challenges Anti-woman Hate Speech in Court
In January, ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema told a group of 150 University students that South African President Jacob Zuma’s rape accuser must have enjoyed having sex with him. “When a woman didn’t enjoy it, she leaves early in the morning,” Zuma said. “Those who had a nice time will wait until the sun comes out, request breakfast and ask for taxi money.”
As an organization that supports men and boys to act against domestic and sexual violence, Sonke formalized their hate speech complaint against Malema in Equality Court in May.
8) Law to Combat the Harmful Practice of Child Marriage Introduced in Yemen
In February, members of the Yemeni national Parliament endorsed a new law to combat the dangerous cultural practice of child marriage. Under the new provision, the minimum age of marriage for both boys and girls was set to 17.
7) Cameroun Ratifies Crucial Women’s Rights Protocol
On May 28th Cameroun joined 27 other African countries in ratifying the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, better known as the Maputo Protocol, which calls on countries to eliminate discrimination against women and girls, and uphold their rights to dignity, life, education and training, and health, including reproductive rights.
6) Indian Parliament Strikes Down Sex Work Criminalization
In February, the Indian Parliament dropped the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Bill, which would have further stigmatized sex workers by criminalizing the purchase of sexual services.
5) Young People Advocate for Their Rights in International Fora
A strong new class of visionary youth activists advocated on behalf of the largest generation of youth ever (over 1.2 billion!) at high-level international conferences.
4) World Governments Reaffirm Commitment to Sexual and Reproductive Rights
In April 2009, a new UN resolution placed an unprecedented emphasis on human rights, including in regard to sexuality, and included a new commitment to “comprehensive education on sexuality and gender equality,” access to male and female condoms, reproductive health services for adolescents, and the importance of sexual and reproductive rights and health to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS.
3) New Bolivian Constitution Guarantees Sexual and Reproductive Rights
The new Constitution specifically entitles men and women to sexual and reproductive rights, and states that life is not defined as “starting at conception,” which would have outlawed abortion in the country. Additionally, the strong language of the document enforces the right of women to live free from discrimination, violence, sexual coercion, and emotional abuse.
2) U.S. Acts Swiftly for Women’s Health and Rights.
Three early actions by the Obama Administration signaled a revitalized U.S. commitment to realizing the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls worldwide: the repeal of the Global Gag Rule, the restoration of funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the appointing of Hillary Clinton as U.S. Secretary of State (which led to the creation of a new office for Global Women’s Issues).

1) Activists in India Achieve an Historic Win for Gay Rights; In Nigeria, a Step Forward
At the beginning of July, the High Court of Delhi, India struck down Penal Code 377, overturning a colonial-era law criminalizing consensual gay sex. In March, a similar law banning all expression of homosexuality in Nigeria stalled in the country’s lower house of parliament. Both instances represent huge victories for local activists, who have been fighting criminalization among hostile environments for years. But the fight is far from over: New, similar anti-gay legislation is being being proposed in Uganda that would egregiously violate basic human rights if enacted.
That’s all, folks. Let us know which 2009 wins you’re celebrating this December in comments…