In a special edition, we focus on Syria, a nation emerging from decades of a brutal dictatorship. The country's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has signed a constitutional declaration, laying out rights for women and freedom of expression. This after his Islamist-led rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad's government last December. Yet sectarian violence still threatens to split the country apart as we saw recently with those attacks directed at the Alawite community, treated as associates of Assad. We report on the fears of Syrian women that their new-found freedoms may be under threat with the rise of religious observance. Annette Young also talks to Mariam Jalabi, a co-founder of the Syrian Women's Political Movement, an umbrella organisation representing women from all communities and pushing for them to have a seat at the table.

What happens when you gender-flip the tale of “Moby Dick”? Annette Young talks to British-Chinese author, Xiaolu Guo, who has done just that with her latest book, “Call Me Ishmaelle”.  Also, confronting sexual harassment on Japan's public transport where one in 10 young women say they have been groped on trains, highlighting an often-unreported crime. Plus, a new wave of Kenyan authors, illustrators, and media creators are challenging the way young girls see themselves and their futures. 

To mark International Women's Day, we focus on what was clearly the biggest story in France in recent months. That being the rape trial of Gisele Pelicot who went on to become a global feminist icon after waiving her right to remain anonymous. A court in Avignon hearing how for nearly a decade, the 72-year-old grandmother had been drugged unconscious by her husband and offered to more than 80 strangers for sex. But will Gisele Pelicot's extraordinary bravery result in substantive change especially as there is no definition of consent in French rape law? Annette Young is joined by Louise-Anne Baudrier from the Women’s Foundation and Megan Clement, the editor-in-chief of the Paris-based feminist newsletter, Impact. We also take a look at the need to teach consent from an early age. 

Now when you think of a psychopath, what images immediately come to mind? Most likely that of a man; be it Adolf Hitler, Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson or Joseph Stalin. Not so, says Annette Young's guest this week. Miriam Frankel, the Senior Science Editor at the Conversation Media Group, talks about why scientists have been seemingly reticent to explore dark traits among women. Also Western governments are massively slashing foreign aid budgets as they boost spending on defence with aid organisations saying it will be women and girls who will bear the brunt of such moves. Plus how the ballerinas from the Ukrainian national ballet have found a new lease of life as their art becomes a form of resistance.

With Donald Trump back in the White House; they've become the most controversial initials. That's DEI or diversity, equity and inclusion programs promoting equality in the workplace. The US president has declared war on DEI, declaring it to be "immoral." So what does it mean beyond American shores? Annette Young asks Dr Marcelle Laliberté, Chief DEI Officer at HEC, France's leading business school.

A few concepts arguably dominated remarks at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris this February: inclusivity, ethics and deregulation. Debates about these themes, complimentary for some but conflicting for others, will have a significant impact on whether the technology can or will be used to address societal ills, including gender inequality. While the French government highlighted its pursuit of inclusive, open and safe AI, some of the world's biggest leaders in technology, including the US and the UK, refused to sign the joint declaration vowing to do the same. With the White House both ideologically opposed to such objectives and even linking them to stifled innovation, is it possible to use artificial intelligence as a tool to pursue gender equality? Erin Ogunkeye spoke to Dr. Eleanor Drage, senior research fellow at the University of Cambridge and Zinnya del Villar, Director of Data, Technology and Innovation at Data-Pop Alliance. 

The brutal murder of Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei in September 2024 brought renewed global attention to a silent epidemic in Kenya: femicide and other forms of violence against women. With nearly 100 women murdered by men in just three months, 2024 was one of the deadliest years on record for Kenyan women. With mentalities slow to change and in the absence of a meaningful response from the government, some Kenyan women are taking matters into their own hands by enrolling in self-defence classes. And while William Ruto's government unveiled a 42-member task force to address gender-based violence in January, feminist activists are already voicing concerns it will do little make a significant impact. Erin Ogunkeye spoke to feminist and security professor Awino Okech of SOAS University of London for more. She's also the director of the Feminist Centre for Racial Justice. 

In this edition, how amid grief comes strength. Mothers in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro who lost their children due to gang violence, form a support network which also fights for justice. Also South Africa has one of the highest rates of femicide in the world yet despite this, half of the safe houses for domestic violence survivors in Cape Town, are facing closure. Plus we meet a group of Buddhist Nepalese nuns who've taken up kung fu as they seek to promote female empowerment.

In a special edition, we focus on how Afghanistan under the Taliban, has literally become hell on earth for women and girls. Annette Young meets Fawzia Koofi, a women's rights activist and a former member of the Afghan parliament who has also survived several assassination attempts. The two talk about the need for international efforts to end gender apartheid and the role of international sporting boycotts. Also, our colleagues at FRANCE 2 meet a group of Afghan women exiled in Paris who are producing a TV broadcast for women still living inside Afghanistan, offering a much-needed spark of hope. 

With Donald Trump re-entering the White House, what will it mean for American women this time around? Annette Young talks to Carter Sherman, the reproductive health reporter for the Guardian US. Also the gender divide in South Korea is becoming all the more evident during this latest political crisis over the arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol; with young men protesting against his impeachment while their female peers called for him to be detained. Plus the rise of e-sports or video gaming in China and how once again, women are finding themselves shut out of one of the world fastest-growing sectors.