Feel Good Friday - Equality Now

Happy Friday! It’s still March, it’s still Women’s History Month so let’s talk about Equality Now.

Founded in 1992 and based in New York City, the mission of Equality Now is "to achieve legal and systemic change that addresses violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world.”  They do this with a global network of lawyers, activists, and supporters who hold governments responsible for their international obligation to prohibit all forms of violence and discrimination against women. 

Equality Now works in all regions of the world and uses a combination of legal expertise, advocacy, collaboration, and resourcing to get their work done. Watch this video to hear Global Executive Director, Mona Sinha explain their work or keep reading.

There are four areas that Equality Now focuses on. Achieving legal equality is the first step towards gender equality. The team at Equality Now works to end legislative gender discrimination and holds governments around the world accountable for their obligations under international law. Ending harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation means leading global campaigns against these practices while also collaborating with regional partners and pushing for states to enact and implement effective laws. 

Ending sexual violence and sexual exploitation is important because 1 in 3 women globally will experience sexual violence in their lifetimes. Equality Now works to enact good laws that are effectively implemented while also exploring partnerships that take an ecosystems approach to building support mechanisms for women and girls. They work to prevent online sexual exploitation and abuse as well as partnering with local activists to challenge sex trafficking and sex tourism.

In 2023, Equality Now shared their feminist, legal expertise in 76 trainings and workshops. They helped change 14 laws in 12 countries, which improved access to justice for 39.2 million women and girls worldwide. Read stories of this impact here.

If you’d like to help Equality Now realize their vision of “a world in which women and men have equal rights under the law, and full enjoyment of their human rights” there are many ways to do so. Make a donation, join the changemakers network, shop for merch, and amplify their message on social media.  Follow Equality Now on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn and subscribe to their YouTube channel.