October 2026 – Women's Network for Change

October 15, 2026

Navi Pillay, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Navi Pillay: A Woman Who Turned Barriers into Stepping Stones

In every era of history, there are women who not only overcome the limitations imposed upon them but also pave the way for future generations. Navi Pillay is one of those women; a woman who emerged from a society marked by racial discrimination and gender inequality to become one of the world’s most prominent figures in human rights and international justice. Receiving the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize is a significant milestone in her career, but that distinction alone is not […]

October 15, 2026

Gina Romero, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and association, supports the No To Execution Tuesdays campaign.

UN Expert Takes ‘No Execution Tuesdays’ Campaign Global

UN Rapporteur Gina Romero’s hunger strike sparked a wave of international solidarity with Iranian political prisoners. At a time when dozens of political prisoners and protesters in Iran are facing the threat of execution, a powerful act by Gina Romero, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, helped generate an unprecedented wave of international solidarity with the ‘No To Execution Tuesdays’ campaign. Her decision to join the campaign’s 24-hour hunger strike […]

October 14, 2026

Maryam Yarmohammadi, a 28-year-old mother whose killing drew renewed attention to femicide in Iran.

Femicide in Iran: How Laws Turn Family Killers into Mourners

How Iran’s Legal System Enables Impunity for Femicide In recent days, the shocking murder of a young mother on Iran’s Qeshm Island has once again brought the issue of femicide and honor killings into the media spotlight and social media conversations. Two Saturdays ago, a 28-year-old mother named Maryam Yarmohammadi was killed in her own home in a relentless knife attack. Two men have been arrested on charges of murder and complicity in murder. The murder suspect is Ms. Yarmohammadi’s […]

October 9, 2026

Raden Adjeng Kartini, Indonesian pioneer of women's rights

Raden Adjeng Kartini: Pioneer of Women’s Rights in Indonesia

Raden Adjeng Kartini (April 21, 1879 – September 17, 1904) is celebrated as one of Indonesia’s earliest champions of women’s rights and education. Born into a prominent Javanese aristocratic family during Dutch colonial rule, Kartini experienced firsthand the restrictions placed on women in her society. Despite cultural traditions that limited her freedom, she developed a passion for learning and empowerment. Educated in Dutch, Kartini corresponded with friends and reformists in Europe, expressing her vision for equality and female education. These […]

October 9, 2026

California Ends Child Marriage with Landmark Reform Protecting Girls’ Rights

California has enacted a landmark reform prohibiting marriage for anyone under the age of 18, without exception. Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1267 (AB-1267) into law on September 30, establishing 18 as the minimum legal age for both marriage and domestic partnership in the state. The measure repeals previous provisions that allowed minors to marry with parental consent and judicial approval. Before the law’s adoption, California was among the few U.S. states that did not have a statutory minimum age […]