Jessie Williams

I interviewed the extraordinary @payzee.bsky.social, a survivor of child marriage and 'honour-based' abuse, for Service95. Her sister Banaz was murdered in an 'honour' killing in 2006. Payzee now works to protect other women from the suffering she and Banaz endured. www.service95.com/payzee-mahmo...

The theatre group putting refugees at centre stage Phosphoros Theatre uses performance to tell stories of forced displacement, from the people who have lived through it

'We want to be in our country. But it’s the situation that brought us here.’

Read about the refugee-led Phosphoros Theatre, where actors share untold stories on stage.

✍🏻Jessie Williams | 🎭Phosphoros Theatre

hyphenonline.com/2025/09/24/p...

Nothing says “tough on Russia” like giving Putin a red carpet, an air show, and a bro hug.

In May FIFA announced it would support the creation of a new Afghan women's refugee team, which will enable selected players to compete in international friendlies, but not official, competitive matches. Yousufi says this is a "big step" but players still want full recognition.

"It’s not only about us representing Afghanistan, to wear the jersey, to have the same freedom we had – it’s beyond that,” says captain Fatima Yousufi. “It’s about all those girls – young, old, all of those women who are in Afghanistan. The biggest mission for our team is to be a voice for them."

Afghanistan’s women’s football team are fighting to play Having fled the Taliban takeover, the exiled women have recently been recognised as a refugee team by FIFA. But they still want to properly compete.

Today marks 4 years since the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan. The national women's football team escaped to Australia and are still campaigning for official recognition from FIFA so they can represent their country in exile. My piece in
@huckmag.com www.huckmag.com/article/afgh...

When public media disappears, so do the stories that bring us together.

With federal funding eliminated, millions may lose their last trusted source of news and connection.

If that matters to you, now’s the time to act. Donate: n.pr/458sOhq

I’m a mother of three in Gaza – we are dizzy from hunger 'I am dizzy a lot of the time - I am dizzy right now,' says Faten Abu Shamalah, 41

100+ NGOs say Israel’s months-long siege is causing mass starvation to spread across Gaza. I spoke to a Palestinian mother of three who told me that she often feels dizzy with hunger and sometimes goes without food so her children can eat. For @theipaper.com inews.co.uk/news/world/i...

The weeks following the launch of the new distribution scheme have been some of the deadliest since October 2023, with almost 800 Palestinians killed trying to get food, and thousands more injured, according to the UN.

“People go [to the distribution sites] knowing that they could very well be the next casualty. It’s not just being shot to death, it’s you could be maimed and paralysed, you can be hit and be amputated, and you could have a shell explode and give you some sort of internal injury," says Dr Fadlalla.

I'm a doctor in Gaza - I'm treating a rising number of patients for bullet wounds Doctors report that since the opening of Israeli-US-backed aid distribution sites, the number of patients severely wounded by bullets and shrapnel has surged

I interviewed an @msf.ca doctor working in a field hospital in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, who told me he's seen a surge in patients with bullet and shrapnel injuries since the new Israeli-US-backed aid distribution scheme started. inews.co.uk/news/world/d...

Peace is "far from guaranteed:” Iranians Face Trauma and Repression After the Israel-Iran War A dust storm swept through Tehran Tuesday morning, cloaking the city of 10 million with reduced visibility and deteriorated air quality. But it also brought a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran...

“I feel shattered in my heart because I feel like we are being stripped out of our agency, our will and our choices... we are paying the price with our blood,” @jessiewill.bsky.social reports on Iranian reactions to the Israel-Iran, in DAWN's Democracy in Exile.

Peace is far from guaranteed:” Iranians Face Trauma and Repression After the Israel-Iran War A dust storm swept through Tehran Tuesday morning, cloaking the city of 10 million with reduced visibility and deteriorated air quality. But it also brought a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran...

For the last 2 weeks I've been speaking to Iranians inside and outside Iran. While peace appears to be holding following the bloody 12-day war with Israel, they are bracing themselves - not only for more bombs but a wave of repression from the Islamic Republic. My piece: dawnmena.org/peace-is-far...

When your editors ask you what you plan to say in the story you were supposed to file that afternoon:

Women and Girls’ Bodies Become a Frontline in the DRC’s Mineral War — More to Her Story An average of 60 rapes a day were reported in eastern Congo in a span of just two weeks — a crisis unfolding in silence as the world marks the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence ...

On the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, Kelly Kimball and I looked at how women and girls’ bodies have become a frontline in eastern DRC’s mineral war — with over 60 rapes reported daily in a two-week span.
www.moretoherstory.com/stories/wome...

Sri Lanka’s War Widows Are Clearing Its Land of Mines The ongoing demining work has provided a lifeline to many and proved a great success, but the country bears other wounds that may be harder to heal

NEW: Sri Lankan women are helping to clear the land mines that are a legacy of their country’s civil war, but while the land may be healing, society is not, reports @jessiewill.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social

newlinesmag.com/reportage/sr...

“We’re ready for a battle; we’re ready to fight, and we understand what the stakes are,” says Ramatu Bangura, co-chief executive at Purposeful. “These forces that are coming into our country from outside are designed to take us back to a colonial era that we’re not interested in going back to.”

‘We’re ready to fight’: activists brace as US anti-rights figures descend on Africa Ultra-conservative campaigners fly in for ‘family values’ conferences to share tactics with African allies who oppose abortion and LGBTQ+ rights

I interviewed activists in Africa who are bracing themselves for an influx of some of the most powerful, ultra-conservative, anti-rights campaigners from the US & Europe over the coming months at a series of "family values" conferences. For @theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

1/ For ProPublica’s “Life of the Mother” series, winner of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for public service, we reported on five pregnant women who died after not receiving timely medical care in states with strict abortion bans.

These are their stories 🧵

Russia’s ‘Ghost Detainees’: The Investigation That Cost Viktoriia Roshchyna Her Life Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna was pronounced dead in Russian captivity in October 2024, after being secretly held for months in Russian-occupied Ukraine and a Russian prison. In February 20...

Journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna disappeared in 2022 while reporting on the torture of Ukrainian civilians held in informal detention centers by Russian force. In October 2024, she was declared dead in Russian captivity.

Read our full investigation 👉 forbiddenstories.org/russia-detai...

Turkey protests continue despite government ban, mass arrests and media crackdown Protesters tell The i Paper they are facing police brutality and expect it to escalate

I interviewed protestors in Istanbul about why they are taking to the streets. “The government is now usurping our freedoms, our right to vote and be elected, and even our lives as individuals,” 19-year-old Rana told me while on her way to a protest. For @theipaper.com inews.co.uk/news/world/t...

#JournoRequest Looking to speak to young people in Turkey who are participating in the demonstrations in Istanbul after the arrest of #İmamoğlu for
@theipaper.com. Can be anonymous. Please get in touch asap, thanks!

Starmer’s cuts to UK aid budget are ‘cruel and shameful’, say experts Reduction to 0.3% of gross national income in order to fund defence spending has been decried as a ‘move to appease Trump’

Cutting the UK's foreign aid budget from 0.5% to 0.3% will disproportionately impact women & girls, sexual & reproductive rights around the world - which comes weeks after Trump's decision to freeze international aid & reinstate the global gag rule, already putting so many vulnerable people at risk.

The little-known Trump rule that 'will be a death sentence for women' The policy change will result in nearly half a million unintended pregnancies and 1,400 preventable maternal deaths in Zimbabwe alone, according to one NGO

Trump's #GlobalGagRule - which withholds vital funding from groups that provide and advocate for abortion - will be a "death sentence" for women around the world, according to activists and NGOs. But there are many who will be defying it. My latest for @inews.co.uk inews.co.uk/news/world/l...

Death Without Mercy: Untold story of Turkey-Syria earthquakes Waad al-Kateab’s Death Without Mercy exposes the man-made disaster of the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake, captured through CCTV & first-person documentary footage

As we approach the 2nd anniversary of the Turkey-Syria earthquakes, I interviewed the Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Kateab about her vital new doc which captures the utter devastation of the quakes - & the failures that led to so many deaths. For @thenewarab.bsky.social www.newarab.com/features/dea...

New Yorker cover from November 2016 showing a guy on the subway reading a newspaper with the headlines "oh, sweet Jesus please God, no "and "anything but that" and "come on."

♻️

Israel-Gaza war live: Ceasefire and hostage deal ‘right on brink’, says US, as hopes rise for agreement Deal reported to involve release of 33 Israeli hostages alongside a partial Israeli troop withdrawal In today’s First Edition newsletter, my colleague Archie Bland discussed with the Guardian’s senior international correspondent, Julian Borger the…

Israel-Gaza war live: Ceasefire and hostage deal ‘right on brink’, says US, as hopes rise for agreement

How Syrian women are fighting a war – and patriarchy ‘Women of the revolution’ share their experiences on the decade-long transformation of their country.

Incredible scenes coming out of Syria. Thinking of all the Syrians I've interviewed over the years- particularly the women in this article from 2021. "We are planting freedom & dignity & one day the new generation, including my daughters, will harvest those fruits." www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/...

How Syria changed in just 11 days.

The heroic White Helmets (Syria's civil defense) who've been at the frontlines to save Syrians under the rubble are at Saydnaya to help free detainees in hidden cells. States should ensure they have the resources, technical support & assistance from intl rescue teams to work quickly and efficiently.