Global Women’s News: What We’re Reading in May

When we think about dangerous cities, we picture dark alleyways late at night. But women and girls around the world face danger every day as they go about their daily lives, simply in attending school, on their way home from dance class, and within their own homes. This month we’re highlighting articles about women and girls who have stood up for their rights in dangerous situations and others who are fighting to make school and home safe havens. It’s not always easy to raise your voice for the things you know you deserve; we’re so grateful to all these strong women, for doing just that.

I’m tired of being scared on my own streets. Here’s how we can make our cities safer

The Guardian
On Tuesday, April 17, Capt. Tammie Jo Shults safely landed Southwest flight

1380 after one of the plane’s engines exploded, spraying shrapnel into the cabin. According to one passenger, Shults, a former fighter pilot with the U.S. Navy, had “nerves of steel” as she safely landed the plane on the tarmac at Philadelphia International Airport. A true

WomenStrongWarrior!

Women’s Safety Must Be Part of Transportation Planning

Next City
Jana Korn, a University of Pennsylvania Urban Studies major, talks about how cities can use the

MeToo movement as an opportunity to think critically about how public transit continues to be unsafe for women. Among her solutions, she suggests investing in transportation infrastructure, making it easier to file a complaint, and raising public awareness about how dangerous public transit can be for women.

Mashable
Nearly 70 percent of Nigeria’s schools lack clean and safe toilets for girls to use. This not only impacts girls’ academic success, it also affects their sexual and reproductive health, self-esteem, and sense of agency. After facing her own challenges with missing school because of her period, Folasade Bamisaye decided to create My Period Kit, a startup that provides girls with menstrual hygiene kits, in the hope that this will help them stay in school.