In this special edition, Annette Young heads to Avignon as the Pelicot case enters its closing stages. For nearly a decade, Gisèle Pelicot was regularly drugged by her husband and offered up to strangers for sex. Now seen as the most notorious rape trial ever to be held in this country, we meet the local women who offer their support to the 72-year-old grandmother by decorating Avignon’s streets with slogans. Annette Young also talks to Catherine Porter from The New York Times, who’s been...

A spike in violence in Sudan's civil war sees a rise in the number of women and girls being raped by paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in the east of the country. Also what happens when men outnumber women in some cases as high as 25 percent in parts of eastern Germany, where young women have left for better opportunities elsewhere and how the far right stands to benefit. Plus taking on the high seas; we meet the 23-year-old French woman who's competing in the iconic solo yachting race, the...

What will Donald Trump's second term in the White House mean for women in America and how abortion rights will not be the only area under attack. Also what does the Trump victory mean for the war in Ukraine; Annette Young asks veteran war correspondent, Janine di Giovanni, who is now with The Reckoning Project which teaches journalists how to collect testimonies that can be used in war crimes trials. Plus human rights activists call on Iranian authorities to release a young student who was...

In a special edition, we're focusing on the US presidential election, which is no doubt the most momentous election ever for American women in the nation's history with the demise of Roe v. Wade in 2022. We are also witnessing a particularly large gender voting gap, with more men leaning towards the Republicans' Donald Trump, while the Democrats’ Kamala Harris is attracting a greater number of female voters. So how will this gender gap impact voting? Is America going to have its first-ever...

She is now probably the most famous French woman in the world. Gisèle Pelicot, the 72-year-old grandmother who was drugged unconscious so her husband and scores of other men could rape her, once again gives evidence at her rape trial. Also why ageism is never in style; Annette Young meets Jacynth Bassett, the woman behind the consultancy who is challenging outdated stereotypes. Plus with more women in work than ever before in Ivory Coast, the need for childcare has become paramount but the...

So was Miss Moneypenny, as she was referred to in James Bond novels and films, a real person? It turns out, yes. Annette Young talks to Dr Claire Hubbard-Hall, the author of 'Her Secret Service: The Forgotten Women of British Intelligence' about the woman who inspired the character and why women do make better spies. Also as femicide continues to be a serious problem across the globe, a highly moving story of a French woman who miraculously managed to escape being killed by her ex-boyfriend....

This week, we're focusing on the upcoming US presidential election with the battle over abortion rights very much becoming front and centre of the campaign. It is the first election since the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022 which has dramatically impacted women's access to abortion; with 21 states now banning abortion or restricting the procedure earlier in pregnancy. Our colleagues at France 2 Television went to talk to women in several southern states seeking a...

In a special edition, we take a look at several high-profile cases of rape and sexual violence which have made headlines in recent weeks including the Gisèle Pelicot trial in France. For nearly 10 years, her husband, Dominique Pelicot, routinely drugged his wife and invited scores of strangers to join him in raping her, often filming the encounters. In waiving her right to remain anonymous, Gisèle Pelicot has become a global feminist icon.

In a special edition, we focus on menopause since general knowledge of what it means for those who experience it and how to best treat it, is minimal to say the least. Although menopause is still considered taboo in many parts of the world, we report on how attitudes are changing dramatically in the UK where legislation is being discussed and employers now have a legal responsibility to support middle-aged women at work. Annette Young is also joined by noted American urologist, Dr Kelly...

How the US presidential election has been blighted by a campaign of online disinformation including misogynist and racist content. Annette Young talks to American disinformation specialist, Nina Jankowicz about how governments need to step up to prevent the erosion of democracy by toxic misinformation. Plus a group of indigenous women from Greenland are seeking compensation from the Danish Government over a campaign of involuntary birth control during the 1960s and 1970s. 

The rise of Bolivia's "cholitas" and how the nation's Indigenous women have gone from being socially marginalised to being widely respected and accepted. Also he was a monk much beloved in France for his extraordinary charity work. But further allegations of sexual violence have now emerged against the late Abbé Pierre. Plus how ongoing economic uncertainty in Pakistan has resulted in families rethinking the traditional role of women and allowing more of them to enter the workforce.

In this edition, we report on the trial that’s made headlines in France and across the world. Dominique Pelicot, 71, has admitted to recruiting dozens of strangers online to rape his wife, after drugging her with sleeping pills. Investigators have counted some 200 instances of rape with more than 70 alleged abusers, over almost a decade. The case also highlights the issue of drug-facilitated sexual assaults. Also, how far has the advertising industry actually progressed since the days of "Mad...

In this special edition to mark the beginning of a new season, we're focusing on the plight of Afghan and Iranian women. It's been three years since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan and thus erasing women from all forms of public life. It's also two years since the death of Mahsa Amini, who was killed while in detention by the Iranian morality police for seemingly showing too much hair under her veil. Her death prompting the biggest protest movement in Iran since the 1979...

The French capital is hosting the 2024 Olympic Games and its organisers say they are the first in history where women and men will be equally represented. But do these Games deserve a gold medal for parity? Annette Young asks former French Olympic champion and sports minister, Roxana Maracineanu, as to what she thinks. We also look at why so much of women's sportswear is seen to be sexist and the complicated issue of participation for transgender athletes.

How domestic abuse goes way beyond physical violence; and how men use money as a form of coercive control over their partners. Also, Japanese authorities crack down on so-called 'host bars' which take advantage of female customers by forcing those who owe money to turn to prostitution or provide sexual services. Plus, how in the streets of the Somalia capital, Mogadishu, women are taking on a very public role; that is directing traffic. 

As Pakistan confronts a series of crippling heatwaves, it is pregnant women and newborns who suffer the most. As a result, its midwives have found themselves on the frontline of climate change. Also, as Saudi Arabia declares rights for women in the country has improved considerably, one activist who promoted gender equality in her social media posts, is now in jail. Annette Young talks to Bissan Fakih from Amnesty International about her plight. Plus, the tale of Alice Milliat, the...

We meet the Indian women campaigning to criminalise marital rape following the adoption of a new penal code which still does not prosecute husbands who rape their wives. A new report reveals how family laws in many African countries reinforce discrimination against women and girls. Annette Young talks to Esther Waweru, a senior legal adviser from Equality Now which authored the study. Plus how Moroccan women are bringing new and inclusive energy to the centuries-old art of Gnaoua, a spiritual...

Annette Young talks to Lebanese journalist and author, Dalal Mawad, whose book 'All She Lost' focuses on the horrific explosion in Beirut four years ago, and its impact on women. They speak about the myth of resilience among the Lebanese population as the country faces the risk of yet another war due to escalating tensions between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Also the Philippines, the only nation other than the Vatican where divorce is banned, takes its first step towards...

As the far-right National Rally party works hard to win votes from French women in this month's parliamentary elections, feminist groups accuse it of using women's rights in order to advance their agenda. To discuss what's at stake with women's rights in these French elections, Annette Young talks to Paris-based feminist journalist, Megan Clement. Plus the women taking to the stage in one of Japan's ancient forms of theatre, a domain still very much dominated by men.

There is much anger among Catholic feminists over comments made by Pope Francis where he ruled out the possibility of women serving as ordained deacons or as members of the clergy. Also as polls continue to suggest that support for abortion rights is growing in the US, what impact is this having on the presidential election campaign? Annette Young talks to Amanda Becker, the Washington correspondent for The 19th News website and now an author of a book on the battle for reproductive rights....

Among policymakers and business leaders, little attention appears to have been paid to one of the fastest-growing demographics; women who are choosing not to have children. Annette Young talks to Dr Caroline Magennis who's written a manifesto for childfree women. Also Claudia Sheinbaum becomes Mexico's first-ever female president. But the scientist and former Mexico City mayor is facing a host of challenges as the country reels from spiralling violence with drug cartels battling for...

With EU elections now just around the corner, women's rights groups are anxiously waiting to see if pollsters have been correct to predict a surge in support for the far right. At a country level, parties associated with the far-right groups in the European Parliament have a long history of seeking to erode sex-specific protections, including access to abortion. Haxie Meyers-Belkin speaks to Jéromine Andolfatto, a policy and campaign officer with the European Women's Lobby.

On June 2, millions of Mexicans are set to make history by voting in their first-ever female president with the two leading candidates both being women; Dr Claudia Sheinbaum from the leftist Morena party, and her right-wing rival, Xóchitl Gálvez. Annette Young heads to Mexico to ask what does this political watershed mean for women's rights in a country where femicide is a massive problem and an estimated 10 women are murdered each day. We meet both candidates and ask them how will they...

So what is a "trad-wife"?  Well, it’s internet shorthand for traditional wives. We take a look at the women influencers extolling the virtues of staying at home while yielding to their husbands. Annette Young asks researcher, Cecile Simmons, if there is a more sinister element behind the trend. Also France boasts one of the world's highest percentages of women in uniform. Yet the country still lags behind when it comes to addressing sexual assault and harassment in the military, according to...