From microaggressions and "subtle sexism" to emerging from domestic violence and supporting women in prison, these eight articles offer unique views of gender justice. For International Women's Day, we're revisiting some of our favourite pieces of research, memoir, fiction and journalism calling out sexism around the world. The post International Women’s Day 2024: 8 stories battling for gender justice appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

From decolonising the curriculum to everyday sexism, Lacuna's stories have covered a wide range of issues that shaped the UK's human rights landscape in 2023. We have invited teachers and students to write about their own experiences. Join us in revisiting our editor's picks of impactful human rights stories from 2023. The post 6 human rights stories by teachers and students: A look back at 2023 appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

With the climate crisis growing more urgent and the number of refugees worldwide rising, 2023 has been a year of pressing human rights issues. Lacuna’s stories have highlighted the joy that is essential to human rights and explored uplifting forms of resistance - including reading, gardening and wedding celebrations. Here's a collection of inspiring human rights journalism from around the world to conclude 2023. The post Human rights journalism and research from around the world in 2023 appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

China’s crackdown on fantasy literature and video games poses a critical obstacle to readers, authors, and those who seek to make these works accessible. Why restrict these apparently innocuous stories? Eric R Stone interviews censored writers who describe how censorship and outright banning of certain concepts, words, and allusions render works of fiction unintelligible. In... Read more » The post Redacted Fantasy: China’s Dystopian Censorship of Online Fiction appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

The new curator of the Screening Rights Film Festival, Misha Zakharov, explains how the festival has evolved, what the challenges are in producing an event like this, and how personal identities, histories and politics can enrich the film festival programme.  The post How do you curate a human rights film festival? appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

The story of one woman, Rahil Azizi, highlights the impossible situation of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers seeking safety in Pakistan. Arjumand Bano Kazmi believes Azizi's story could be a timely aid to hundreds of other Afghan refugees who are subjected to arbitrary arrests, detentions, trials and deportation. The post “The law is not meant to act a trap”: How can Pakistan change its approach to Afghan refugees and asylum seekers? appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

Comprised of fiction and non-fiction books, this collection includes a letter from father to son, a translated story of a night in police custody, and a graphic novel about a girl finding her way in an unwelcoming world. Many are award-winners and our choosers explain what each social justice story means to them. The Kite... Read more » The post Seven of the best fiction and non-fiction books to explore social justice appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

Professor Ann Stewart has shared the stories she heard about woman-to-woman marriage in rural Kenya and explained the background to her research. Here she explores the legal concerns of some widows and explains how these marriages can exist within Kenya’s legal framework. The post The law of woman-to-woman marriage: Stories from the court room appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

This short story combined with statistical data about sexual assault and violence against women, describes the anxiety of navigating public spaces while trying to stay safe. In a short 20-minute walk, the writer examines the effects of street harassment, sexual assault in taxis and public transport, and the inadequate response by the justice system.   The post Walking Home Alone: Why women feel unsafe in public places  appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

In this moving and delicately-rendered fictional story, a woman happens upon a statue in Florence that leads her to rediscover her own memories of a sexual assault. With the help of art, she begins, at last, to speak her truth. The post Not a statue of love: Self-recognition in the Piazza della Signoria appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more