Rising anti-rights pushbacks spur renewed call for action on gender equality, sexual rights

By A Representative

At a time when rising anti-rights and anti-gender movements threaten decades of progress toward equality, advocates and educators across Asia and the Pacific are uniting to reaffirm the critical role of teachers in advancing through comprehensive sexuality education (CSE). The recent SHE & Rights session, held ahead of the in , brought together educators, youth leaders, civil society representatives, and policymakers to demand accountability and renewed action for CSE and gender justice.

“Though comprehensive sexuality education is such a taboo, it is an important aspect of adolescents, children and young people's well-being,” said , Deputy Executive Director of the Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW). “Every child, adolescent, and young person, regardless of who they are and where they live, deserves an opportunity to learn and develop skills that will enable them to make safe and confident choices about their lives – and comprehensive sexuality education is one such life skill.”

ARROW, together with , , , , the , and , organized the Asia Pacific Multistakeholder Dialogue on transforming teachers and teaching for adolescent health, well-being, and gender equality. The event brought together over 160 participants, including government officials from 20 countries, ministries of education, youth advocates, and academics, marking a significant milestone for advancing adolescent health through education.

According to Racherla, the dialogue emphasized that teachers are crucial enablers of CSE. “Global research shows teachers are the most important school-related factor affecting students’ learning. Providing comprehensive sexuality education not only improves life skills but enhances learning outcomes across subjects,” she said. She further stressed the need for investing in inclusive pre- and in-service teacher training that mandatorily includes CSE, while also focusing on the psychosocial well-being of teachers themselves.

Feminist academic , Professor Emeritus and Founder of the Centre for Women’s Studies and Development at , welcomed the focus on teacher well-being. “As a feminist and a teacher, I am so happy that this meeting recognized teachers’ concerns and interests. I stand with you,” she said, underscoring that healthy, well-supported teachers are essential for delivering meaningful education.

Youth participation emerged as another central theme of the dialogue. Zuzan of Y-PEER Laos emphasized that young people must not only be consulted but be recognized as co-creators and decision-makers in shaping CSE policies and programmes. “Teachers are not just knowledge providers but role models who can inspire values of equality, respect, and empathy,” she said. “Youth participation should go beyond consultation – it must include youth-led accountability mechanisms.”

The discussions also connected global advocacy efforts, especially in the wake of the 80th United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting commemorating 30 years of the . “Beijing Declaration affirmed that the rights of women and girls are human rights,” said , Executive Director of and host of SHE & Rights. “But progress has been slow and uneven. No nation has achieved full equality for women, girls, and gender-diverse people.” She raised concerns over recent attempts, notably by the United States, to weaken global commitments to gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

Echoing this, of , co-convener of the Women’s Rights Caucus, highlighted ongoing efforts to defend the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) as a vital normative platform. She outlined key advocacy goals: protecting CSW’s mandate, safeguarding its ambitious framework for gender equality, and ensuring robust civil society participation. “Our priority is to keep feminist movements inside these processes, ensuring UN reform strengthens—not sidelines—gender and human rights,” she said.

Speakers also warned against growing “anti-gender” narratives that link women’s rights to pronatalist or fertility-driven agendas. “We must be clear that women’s rights, bodily autonomy, and reproductive justice are non-negotiable,” said Shiphrah. “Family planning must never be reduced to demographic control.”

Reflecting on global conflicts, Dr. Pam Rajput drew attention to the humanitarian crises in Gaza and Ukraine. “We have to question what international justice means if gender-based atrocities during war go unpunished,” she said, calling for accountability and leadership that upholds women’s rights globally. “We are demanding that the next UN Secretary-General be a woman—but one who is free of regressive forces. We cannot afford to lose what we have achieved.”

Looking ahead, the ICFP 2025 is set to be the largest family planning conference ever, with more than 5,000 abstract submissions and youth-led pre-conference sessions. “ICFP 2025 is seeing new themes emerge, from climate and SRHR to civic space and financing,” said Dina Chaerani of the . “Youth leadership has moved to the core of the programme, with young people leading entire sessions.”

The SHE & Rights session, co-hosted by ARROW, Y-PEER Asia Pacific, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR), and other partners, reaffirmed that teachers, youth, and feminist movements must remain at the heart of advancing comprehensive sexuality education and defending gender equality. In a world facing pushbacks and polarization, the call from Bogota was clear: accountability must translate into action, resources, and unwavering commitment to the rights and dignity of all.

Comments

India's chemical industry: The missing piece of Atmanirbhar Bharat

By N.S. Venkataraman* Rarely a day passes without the Prime Minister or a cabinet minister speaking about the importance of Atmanirbhar Bharat . The Start-up India scheme is a pillar in promoting this vision, and considerable enthusiasm has been reported in promoting start-up projects across the country. While these developments are positive, Atmanirbhar Bharat does not seem to have made significant progress within the Indian chemical industry . This is a matter of high concern that needs urgent and dispassionate analysis.

Remembering a remarkable rebel: Personal recollections of Comrade Himmat Shah

By Rajiv Shah I first came in contact with Himmat Shah in the second half of the 1970s during one of my routine visits to Ahmedabad , my maternal hometown. I do not recall the exact year, but at that time I was working in Delhi with the CPI -owned People’s Publishing House (PPH) as its assistant editor, editing books and writing occasional articles for small periodicals. Himmatbhai — as I would call him — worked at the People’s Book House (PBH), the CPI’s bookshop on Relief Road in Ahmedabad.

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

Muslim women’s rights advocates demand criminalisation of polygamy: Petition launched

By A Representative An online petition seeking a legal ban on polygamy has been floated by Javed Anand, co-editor of Sabrang and National Convener of Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD), inviting endorsements from citizens, organisations and activists. The petition, titled “Indian Muslims & Secular Progressive Citizens Demand a Legal Ban on Polygamy,” urges the Central and State governments, Parliament and political parties to abolish polygamy through statutory reform, backed by extensive data from the 2025 national study conducted by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA).

As 2024 draws nearer, threatening signs appear of more destructive wars

By Bharat Dogra The four years from 2020 to 2023 have been very difficult and high risk years for humanity. In the first two years there was a pandemic and such severe disruption of social and economic life that countless people have not yet recovered from its many-sided adverse impacts. In the next two years there were outbreaks of two very high-risk wars which have worldwide implications including escalation into much wider conflicts. In addition there were highly threatening signs of increasing possibility of other very destructive wars. As the year 2023 appears to be headed for ending on a very grim note, there are apprehensions about what the next year 2024 may bring, and there are several kinds of fears. However to come back to the year 2020 first, the pandemic harmed and threatened a very large number of people. No less harmful was the fear epidemic, the epidemic of increasing mental stress and the cruel disruption of the life and livelihoods particularly among the weaker s...

Farewell to Robin Smith, England’s Lionhearted Warrior Against Pace

By Harsh Thakor* Robin Smith, who has died at the age of 62, was among the most adept and convincing players of fast bowling during an era when English cricket was in decline and pace bowling was at its most lethal. Unwavering against the tormenting West Indies pace attack or the relentless Australians, Smith epitomised courage and stroke-making prowess. His trademark shot, an immensely powerful square cut, made him a scourge of opponents. Wearing a blue England helmet without a visor or grille, he relished pulling, hooking and cutting the quicks.

Search This Blog