Good Vibes Only weekly update

On International Women's Day 2025, women across the globe took to the streets to demand gender equality, justice, and an end to violence. In Istanbul, Turkey, women protested government efforts to restrict their roles, holding banners like "Family will not bind us to life." This slogan is a powerful rejection of traditional gender roles that seek to confine women to domestic life, emphasizing the desire for autonomy and equality.

Similar protests unfolded throughout Europe, including in Belgrade, Rome, Paris, and Warsaw, where women rallied for equal pay, better healthcare, and stronger protections against gender-based violence. In Poland, activists defied restrictive abortion laws by opening a center near parliament to challenge the government's policies and provide support to those in need.

Across South America, women in Ecuador and Bolivia marched in solidarity to denounce femicides and demand justice for victims of gender-based violence. Protests in cities such as Lagos, Paris, and Berlin amplified calls for societal and legislative change, reflecting the growing global movement for women's rights.

These demonstrations carried a unified message: the fight for gender equality is a global struggle that transcends borders. Women worldwide are determined to shape a future where justice, safety, and equality are fundamental rights for all.

Fatou Baldeh, a survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM) and the founder of Women in Liberation & Leadership (WILL), has emerged as a powerful advocate for ending FGM in Gambia. Despite the country’s 2015 ban on the practice, FGM persists, with around 75% of women and girls aged 15 to 49 having been cut, according to the United Nations Population Fund. Deeply rooted in culture and often dismissed by law enforcement, FGM continues to harm. "When we report it to the police, they often say, ‘This is our culture, our tradition,’ and don’t see it as a crime,” Baldeh says.

In 2024, Gambia's parliament considered overturning the ban, threatening the hard-fought rights of women and girls. Baldeh, along with WILL and other organizations fought back. They united survivors, engaged religious leaders, and presented evidence of FGM's damaging health effects to lawmakers.

In July 2024, their efforts paid off as Gambia’s parliament rejected the bill, preserving the ban. However, Baldeh remains resolute: “The fight isn’t over. We must keep speaking out.” Her activism has drawn international attention to FGM, sparking a renewed global movement to challenge harmful cultural practices and protect women’s rights.

 Alaa Abd el-Fattah is a pro-democracy activist. For "liking" a Facebook post describing torture in Egyptian prisons, Egyptian authorities sentenced him to five years in prison. Since taking part in the 2011 uprising in Egypt, he has been repeatedly arrested and imprisoned.

Alaa’s release date was last September, but when it arrived, Egyptian authorities ordered him to remain imprisoned until January 2027. Amnesty International has been campaigning for his immediate and unconditional release.

Alaa Abd el-Fattah is a British-Egyptian dual national. His mother, Laila Soueif, has been on hunger strike for 140 days, since the day her son was supposed to be released. She has lost around 25 kilogrammes.

In December, to continue the campaign for her son’s release and ensure the government take immediate action, she began a daily sit-in outside 10 Downing Street.

Following Kier Starmer’s vow to prioritise Alaa’s release, Laila has said: “For the moment I will stop my daily visits to Downing Street.  I’m very glad that at this stage in my hunger strike I won’t have to be standing outside in the cold for an hour each day”.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Laila that he will do "all that I can" to secure the release of her son.

"We will continue to raise his case at the highest levels of the Egyptian government and press for his release," Starmer said.

Laila added: “When I met Mr Starmer he promised me that he is personally committed to continue working for the release of Alaa until he is reunited with his son in Brighton.

“He asked me to relay this message to Alaa, which I will do. He also repeated that securing the release of my son is a top priority for the British Government.”

Key ministers in Spain's government are pushing for a universal child benefit in the 2025 budget. It aims to tackle the country’s high child poverty rate and bring the right to an adequate standard of living to the forefront of the government's budget planning.

Minister Pablo Bustinduy, supported by Spain's labour and children’s ministers, proposed a €200 monthly grant for children under 18, available to all households filing taxes as residents of Spain. High earners would be taxed on the grant.

With 34.5% of children at risk of poverty, Spain has the second highest child poverty rate in the EU. The new initiative aims to address gaps in existing programs, which many eligible families do not access.

Evidence suggests universal child benefits reduce poverty. Researchers showed that the proposed benefit could reduce extreme child poverty from 14% to 8%. It is crucial that the government prioritises children’s rights.

On the 23rd January, Thailand’s long-awaited marriage equality bill came into effect.

This is an historic step. It means married LGBTI couples receive full financial, legal and medical rights, including inheritance and adoption rights.

Thailand is the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise marriage for LGBTI couples, and only the third country across the whole of Asia to do so. Only Nepal and Taiwan also recognise marriage equality in Asia.

Hundreds of LGBTI couples wedded on the first day that the bill came into effect, with a mass LGBTI wedding taking place, organised by the campaign group “Bangkok Pride”.

For decades LGBTI human rights defenders have been advocating for marriage equality legislation, often at a huge cost. Amnesty International has investigated and found evidence of digital surveillance and online harassment targeting LGBTI human rights activists in an effort to stop their activism.

Whilst the legalisation of marriage for LGBTI couples is a key milestone, much more must be done to guarantee full protection of LGBTI people in Thailand. LGBTI people in Thailand continue to face violence and discrimination. Amnesty International is campaigning for Thai authorities to take further steps to protect the rights of LGBTI people.

Nahid Taghavi is a German-Iranian women’s rights activist. She was arbitrarily detained in Iran for more than four years and has now returned to Germany.

Taghavi’s daughter, human rights activist Mariam Claren, has shared:

“My mother has finally come home. We don’t have the words to describe how happy we are.

“At the same time, we are grieving the four years that were taken from us and the horrors she had to endure at Evin prison.

“There are many more prisoners of conscience like my mother who are still imprisoned in Iran. Hundreds are at risk of being executed.

“The Iranian authorities must no longer enjoy impunity for their actions.”

Nahid Taghavi has been politically active for many years, since her student days. She was arrested during a visit to Tehran in October 2020. Following an unfair trial, she was sentenced to ten years and eight months in prison on fabricated charges. She was accused of belonging to an “illegal group” and conducting “propaganda activities against the state”. In reality, she was detained solely because she peacefully exercised her rights to freedom of expression.

Between the time of her arrest and her sentencing, she was held in solitary confinement for more than seven months.

Amnesty International campaigned for her release, as well as for access to health care, a lawyer, and her family. Her release must mark the first of many in Iran.