by Artemis
In July, research company Thomson Reuters released a report, “Unseen, Unknown, and Unsolved: Disappearances and Trafficking of Indigenous Individuals in Canada and the United States.” This updates a previous report from 2025. Researchers examined thousands of online prostitution ads featuring Indigenous women, monitoring changes to their posted locations over a decade. These matched disappearance locations of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Researchers mapped the routes sex traffickers take moving victims between cities using highways and airports. They noted a link between prostitution and industrial camps performing resource extraction or construction work. They noted links with drug addiction, poverty, homelessness, colonization, and systemic discrimination. They found victims might not know or believe they are being trafficked.
Deputy Grand Chief Anna Betty Achneepineskum of Nishnawbe Aski Nation has been raising these issues for decades. She stated, “We have long waited for governments and private companies to take this link between sex trafficking and our missing and murdered women seriously. And, while we have, of course, already shown them many numbers before, part of what all this new research is doing is that it helps us to tell them exactly what they should be working on, and where we need better policies and enforcement.”
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On June 15 to18, the Abortion & Reproductive Justice Conference 2026 was held in Nairobi, Kenya. It is “a bi-annual global convening for feminist abortion activists, providers, policymakers, and advocates for improved access to abortion care, bodily autonomy and broader reproductive justice.” Hosted by the Mobilizing Activists around Medical Abortion Network (MAMA Network) and Women Help Women, about 900 attendees came from Latin America, Africa, Asia and other regions. The theme was “We Are the Revolution/Trailblazing Care.” Topics included self-managed (medical) abortion, telehealth, destigmatization storytelling, models for care, inclusivity, and health system strengthening. The conference emphasized the experiences and leadership of those who had abortions, inside or outside of the healthcare system. In 2028, it will be hosted by International Network for the Reduction of Abortion Discrimination and Stigma (inroads).
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On July 1, the Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers’ and Caregivers’ Rights (CDWCR) held its annual march for migrant workers’ rights. The marchers chanted, “If we’re good enough to work, we’re good enough to stay,” “Migrants united will never be defeated,” and “What do migrant workers deserve? Permanent status now. What do we do? Essential Work. What do we deserve? Permanent status now.” Signs read “Re-Open Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots!” “Peace! No War Now!” “Permanent Status for ALL Temporary Migrant Care Workers in Canada,” “Open Work Permits for All” and “Stop Deportation NOW!”
Established in 1992, CDWCR is a volunteer-run non-profit supporting migrant domestic workers and caregivers in Canada. Based in Vancouver, B.C., it offers “free assistance with immigration, employment, human rights, and social services—from workers who understand your journey.” CDWCR lobbies all levels of government to improve living and working conditions for migrant care workers. It partners with like-minded groups and individuals for projects and for organizing to influence legislation on racial and economic justice issues.
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On Sept. 7, workers held a strike at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, walking off the job and shutting it down for a day. Two days earlier, female staff were replaced by men or told to stay out of sight of a group of visiting monks requesting no contact with women. The Paris mayor declared an investigation, stating the instructions to the staff violated France’s commitments to women’s equality and secularism.
The monks were from BAPS, a splinter sect of Hinduism taking part in France’s festivities honoring the inauguration of their temple in Paris. India’s Prime Minister Modi praised it as “a milestone in France-India cultural ties.” BAPS has temples worldwide, but critics say it does not represent all Hindus. It is ultra-conservative with ties to the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteer paramilitary organization which is connected to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Several Indian women’s organizations expressed solidarity with the strikers. The All-India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) condemned the “misogynist and discriminatory instruction of the management,” adding “the same happened in Kolkata when women were asked to vacate front rows at an event…AIDWA in West Bengal protested and condemned it throughout the state. AIDWA strongly condemns the anti-woman, misogynist attitude of BAPS linked to RSS and appeals to all women to condemn such incidents.”