With good reason, many LGBTQIA+ individuals in India are still reluctant to speak out publicly, for fear that they will be ostracized, harmed, or discriminated against in educational and workplace settings, and within their own families. While social media can provide safe spaces for these communities to gather online, efforts to publicly educate and advocate on queer issues are still in short supply across the country. The Rainbow Stories project brought together ten amazing LGBTQIA+ individuals from states in East and Northeast India, to participate in an intensive performative digital storytelling workshop in Kolkata.

In addition to the direct and devastating health and economic implications of COVID-19, the pandemic is exacting a heavy emotional toll on countries around the world. Like the United States, India has weathered high rates of infection; as of February, 2021, nearly 158,000 deaths have been registered there. Grief, uncertainty, isolation, and displacement have impacted people across the country, who are struggling to maintain their courage as they address the needs of those who are most vulnerable. While the relief of a vaccine is on the horizon, community building and mental health support continue to be urgently needed.

Human trafficking remains a significant problem globally, and women and girls pay the highest price. India is no exception; according to estimates, human trafficking affects between 20 and 65 million people in the country. Indian women and girls are trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage, and girls are also lured into forced labor as domestic servants. While laws that criminalize these practices exist, enforcement and prosecution are inadequate.

2019 marked the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the dissolution of East Germany and other former Soviet-Bloc countries. These events, which contributed to the eventual collapse of the U.S.S.R., are viewed as having ushered in a new era in Central-Eastern Europe and Russia. Yet the emergence in recent years of autocratic leaders and governments in Europe and elsewhere around the world has prompted analysts to raise concerns about the increasing fragility of democracy … and has mobilized concerned citizens on behalf of its protection.

Sadly, Ukraine has since its departure from the former Soviet Union been known for its corruption. Experts suggest that the roots of the problem stem from the Soviet nature of many of the country’s political leaders, who used to be part of the ruling elite during the communist era. Ukraine’s weak justice system and its overly-controlling and non-transparent government, together with a relatively inactive civil society, perpetuate the problem. Sadly, the tragic impact on young people’s hope and ambitions, of growing up in an environment riddled by corruption across judicial, education, law enforcement, healthcare, and civil service systems is rarely addressed.

In India and Bangladesh, the problem of gender-based violence is exacerbated by deeply rooted patriarchal social structures. Women and girls are discriminated against right from birth, and gender disparity is seen in all spheres – political, educational, religious, civil service, private sector, etc. Many longstanding cultural, religious, and traditional practices in both countries reinforce male superiority and define women as weak, subordinate human beings who exist solely to serve men and their needs. Beyond the immediate health impacts of gender-based violence, the long shadows of its enduring legacy can impede the ability of survivors to participate successfully in education and training activities, achieve economic stability, and engage with cultural and civic life. On a more personal level, the trauma of violence can scar women’s relationships with intimate partners, children, and friends.

Traditional patriarchal and cultural norms in South Africa, coupled with the legacy of the systemic, state-sanctioned violence of Apartheid over generations, has fueled a society with one of the world’s highest rates of sexual and gender-based violence against adolescent girls and young women. Grassroot Soccer leverages the power of soccer to educate, inspire, and mobilize South African youth to overcome their greatest health challenges, live healthier, more productive lives, and be agents for change in their communities. The organization works with young adult mentors to incorporate sport in dynamic, interactive lessons that provide a safe space for engaging adolescents, deconstructing harmful gender norms, preventing violence, and encouraging participants to seek sexual and reproductive health services.

Dominant narratives about the “development agenda” often fail to consider the needs and desires of indigenous communities, who face disproportionate threats to their rights and cultural traditions as a result of land grabs, climate change, and pressures to adopt “modern” farming practices and ways of life. The Christensen Fund takes a holistic approach to supporting indigenous communities in regions around the world in their efforts to maintain a connection to their lands, preserve their languages and cultural practices, and pursue legal and political channels to protect their human rights.

While recognition is growing within the international public health community about the importance of tailoring sexual health services to the specific needs of young people, youth in Papua New Guinea and Ghana struggle to access the health education information and specific reproductive health services they desperately need. Marie Stopes International (MIS) has for many years been developing innovative ways to address these gaps, in collaboration with its in-country partners around the world.

Violence continues to exact a devastating toll on the lives of many Nepalese women and girls. After years of concerted advocacy by women’s and civil society groups in Nepal, the national government enacted legislation in 2009 that is designed to protect the rights of Nepali women impacted by domestic violence. Saathi Nepal, a non-governmental organization working at all levels of Nepali society to eliminate violence and injustice against women and provide support to victims/survivors, was instrumental in the passage of this law.

Despite the devastating impact of obstetric fistula (a severe medical condition caused by obstructed vaginal delivery during childbirth) on the lives of thousands of women and girls each year, the international health community has until recently largely neglected the problem. The ACQUIRE Project has responded by working with national governments and local partners to strengthen existing and/or implement new comprehensive fistula initiatives. The ACQUIRE approach is holistic, collaborating with stakeholders at the facility and community levels on strategies that can prevent fistula from occurring in the first place, increase women’s access to clinical treatment and counseling, and provide rehabilitation services to help affected women reintegrate into their communities.

While tremendous strides have been made throughout the world to enhance the reproductive health of young people and support their quest for the information and services they need, youth in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize continue to face significant barriers to youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services and the protection of their sexual and reproductive rights. The GOJoven Program has been addressing these and related issues by building a cadre of Fellows in these four countries who work towards improving the health and rights of young people at local and national levels.

In the early 2000s, as South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission was concluding its work to document the atrocities of the apartheid era, crime rates exploded in many parts the country, HIV began to spread rapidly, and violence against women reached near-epidemic proportions. The Sonke Gender Justice Network was established in 2006 to support men, women, youth, and children across the South African Development Countries (SADC) region in achieving gender equality, preventing gender-based violence, and reducing the spread of HIV and the impact of AIDS. Sonke employs social change- and human rights-based strategies to promote healthy, equitable societies.

Despite increased international attention to the devastating impacts on children and youth of experiencing and witnessing violence, rates of abuse and violence in families and communities across Brazil remain high. Instituto Promundo's mission is to promote gender equity and prevent violence against children, youth, and women in Brazil and around the world. Promundo’s Violence Prevention Program takes an interpersonal approach, which recognizes that beyond the emotional, cognitive, and physical aspects of infant and youth development, the social context in which children and youth grow also needs to be understood in order to unravel the causes and impact of violence.