Across the USA this year, women’s rights were pushed to the forefront of people’s minds by major women’s movements and campaigns that swept the country. The long-standing impunity for sexual harassment and violence against women continues to be a key focus for activists in the face of systemic hostility to women’s rights from President Trump’s administration. In addition to failing to support a thorough investigation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh following accusations of sexual assault, the administration also signalled the downplaying of women’s rights by, among other things, removing information on sexual and reproductive rights from the State Department’s annual human rights reports, raising grave concerns for human rights monitoring at home and abroad. At the USA-Mexico border, President Trump’s cruel zero-tolerance policies took a huge toll on families seeking protection from persecution and violence, many of whom were separated under policies that violate international law. However, women across the country made it known that they would not be silent, taking to the streets and halls of Congress, and assuming leadership roles in their own communities taking on issues like community gun violence, showing support for welcoming refugees in their neighbourhoods, and speaking out against family detention and separation.
Dr Christine Blasey Ford swears in at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on 27 September 2018 in Washington, DC. Dr Ford accused Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her during a party in 1982. Amnesty International called for a halt to the vote on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination; however, the Senate confirmed his nomination and he was sworn in on 6 October. © Win McNamee/Getty Images.
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