International Women's Day Webinar Series: Gender, COVID-19, and Human Rights

Event cover for webinar series with the series title: Gender, COVID-19, and Human Rights

In honor of International Women's Day and Women's History Month, we presented a webinar series with key voices in the field of gender, health, and human rights. The series is co-sponsored by Global Rights for Women, and the University of Minnesota's Center on Women, Gender, and Public PolicyHuman Rights ProgramWomen's CenterInterdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change, Center for Women in Medicine and Science, and Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility.


Webinar Recordings

Portrait of Dr Senait Fisseha

The Global State of Reproductive Health: Examining the Intersection of Health Equity, Politics, and COVID-19

Tuesday, March 2, at 12:00–1:00 pm (CST) 

Watch the webinar recording

Dr. Senait Fisseha, Director of International Programs for the Susan Buffett Foundation, reflects on the state of reproductive health globally and discusses the ways in which the COVID pandemic and other political factors have impacted reproductive health services over the last year.


Stopping Femicide: COVID-19 Brings Renewed Global Urgency

Thursday, March 4, at 12:00–1:00 pm (CST)

Photos of the panelists: Patricia Olamendi Torres, Dubravka Simonovic, Nicole Matthews, Cheryl Thomas

Watch the webinar recording

Gender inequality and violence against women and girls is a problem everywhere, and for some women there are lethal consequences. Femicide—a gender-based hate crime—includes domestic violence that culminates in death, rape that ends in murder, and honor killings.

Violence against women is a pandemic within a pandemic, as Covid-19 has exacerbated the severity and frequency of all forms gender-based violence. According to the United Nations, 139 women are murdered every day, and the overwhelming majority of perpetrators are men.

Combating femicide requires more than keeping women out of harm’s way. We must change the core of our culture and expose complicit systems and policies that shame, ignore, and silence those seeking justice. Meet the global activists who have led collective action to raise awareness and create change.

Speakers: Patricia Olamendi Torres, Dr. Dubravka Šimonović, Nicole Matthews, Cheryl Thomas


Portrait of Dr. Rahel Nardos

Obstetric Fistula: A Window into Disparities in Women's Health and A Call for Reimagining Global Health Engagements

Wednesday, March 10, at 9:00–10:00 am (CST)

Watch the webinar recording

Speaker: Dr. Rahel Nardos, Director of Global Women’s Health in CGHSR

Dr. Nardos discusses the state of maternal health globally using obstetric fistula as a window into the vast inequities in maternal outcomes. She highlights the structural and social determinants of disparities in maternal health and put forth a call to action for meaningful and impactful engagement.   

Part of the University of Minnesota Medical School Dean’s Lecture Series