Around the World in 5 is an ongoing series that highlights news related to women in five countries, updated every week. This week’s post covers August 27 to September 3.

Cuba

In December, the Cuban Boxing Federation lifted its ban on women’s boxing and unveiled the formation of a national women’s team.

Since then, Cuban women have been striving to establish their presence in the boxing world, a domain that had long been exclusively reserved for men. While women were permitted to train, they were previously prohibited from entering the ring for competition or sparring.

Alberto Puig de la Barca, the president of Cuba’s Boxing Federation, explained to Al Jazeera that the prohibition on women’s boxing originally stemmed from concerns regarding the safety of female boxers, particularly related to potential harm during pregnancy.

With the ban lifted, female boxers are now required to undergo periodic pregnancy tests and wear protective padding. However, many perceive this delay as a reflection of deeply ingrained machismo culture and a paternalistic tendency to overly protect women.

Read more here.

Sudan

Women in Sudan are grappling with widespread sexual violence, with reported incidents predominantly attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group. Campaign groups warn that these reported cases merely scratch the surface of a much larger problem.

Sulima Ishaq leads Sudan’s Combating Violence against Women and Children unit, tasked with documenting the systemic sexual violence. Her team relies on tips from medical professionals and survivors who, sometimes in the dead of night, reach out to recount their harrowing experiences.

To date, Ishaq’s team has confirmed 124 cases of rape, though the actual number likely extends into the thousands. Survivors often face numerous obstacles, including poor communication, frequent power outages, challenges in tracking those who’ve fled to neighbouring countries like Chad, and the pervasive fear of reprisals, which deter them from coming forward.

The Darfur Women Action Group and the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA), two advocacy organizations, have documented instances of women being abducted by the RSF for ransom, subjecting them to sexual assault while in captivity. Many of these victims end up in Chad or are held as sex slaves, highlighting the dire circumstances these women endure.

Read more here.

United States of America

A volleyball match in Nebraska has set the record for the largest crowd at a women’s sporting event with over 92,000 fans in attendance.

The previous record for a women’s sports event in the United States was the 90,185 who attended the Women’s World Cup soccer final between Team USA and China at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on July 10, 1999.

Read more here.

Ireland

Starting September 1, the Irish Government’s no-cost contraception program is now accessible to individuals who are residents of Ireland and are recommended prescription contraception by their healthcare providers. This includes women, girls, and those identifying as transgender or non-binary.

Nearly 2,400 GPs and 1,950 pharmacies have signed up to provide services and products under the free contraception scheme since it was initially rolled out in 2022 for those under the age of 25.

Minister Donnelly said that women’s healthcare is a “top priority” for the Government.

“Ireland has come a long way in terms of the supports it offers for sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equity and family planning,” he said.

Read more here.

Japan

In July 2023, Teikoku Databank conducted a survey across Japan involving 27,768 companies, focusing on the promotion of women within these organizations. The findings revealed a notable increase in the proportion of female managers, rising by 0.4 percentage points compared to the previous year, reaching a new high of 9.8 per cent.

Despite this positive development, the survey also indicated that a significant 45.1 per cent of companies still had an exclusively male managerial team. Consequently, Japan’s progress towards achieving the government’s target of having at least 30 per cent of leadership roles held by women in the 2020s remained distant.

In the Global Gender Gap Report for 2023, Japan continued to rank low, holding the 125th position out of 146 countries.

Read more here.