Women This Week: Trump Administration Restricts Scientific Research Aimed at Improving Lives of Women and Minorities

Federal Agencies Work to Remove DEI References 

In response to President Donald Trump’s executive orders (EO) terminating funding for diversity initiatives, federally funded agencies—as well as certain corporations—are removing mentions of keywords related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from materials and websites. Over the weekend, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed any articles under consideration for publication that included the banned terms. Officials also reported that the National Science Foundation (NSF) is reviewing grant applications and scrutinizing awardees to ensure compliance with the EO directives. The grants are to be screened for the use of words such as “diversity,” “inclusion,” “women,” and “race.” Julia Barnes, an anthropologist based in Tennessee who receives funding from the NSF, said the “United States is not a stable place to be a scientist.” Barnes continued, “Scientists funded by the NSF aren’t paid a lot, but we care a lot about the research we do.” 

Female Inmates Raped and Burned After Rwandan-backed Rebels Seize Congolese City 

Violence is continuing to escalate in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and women are paying a significant price. On January 27, the Rwandan-backed rebel group known as M23—or the March 23 Movement— seized control of a prison in North Kivu’s capital of Goma. In the chaos, male inmates reportedly broke into the women’s ward, raping at least 165 women before the ward was set on fire. Thousands of men serving sentences were able to escape, but hundreds of female prisoners are thought to have lost their lives. M23 has been engaged in violence in eastern Congo for years, but it has become more significant of late. Not only did M23 recently capture the city of Goma, but it has threatened to take the fight all the way to DRC’s capital—Kinshasha. M23 purports to want to protect the minority populations in eastern DRC, but it has been engaged in smuggling from the mineral-rich area. Vivian Van de Perre, the United Nations’ representative for the Democratic Republic of Congo, said that the situation in Goma was “still highly volatile.” At least 900 have been reported killed and 2,900 injured to date. 

Women in Kenya Provide Safe Transportation 

The New York Times recently profiled a group known as the “Boda Girls” who are breaking down gender norms in Kenya by transporting women—including expectant mothers—to the hospital via motorbike. The program was started by Dan Ogola, who helped found a local hospital and quickly realized that women often struggled to afford transportation to reach the hospital for checkups. In the Spring of 2022, Ogola recruited ten “Boda Girls” and provided them with driving training, as well as specialized training in self-defense and vehicle mechanics. About one thousand women motorcycle drivers are now among approximately 2.5 million taxi drivers in the country. “We kill poverty by creating jobs for them,” he said, “and they bring people to us and make health services accessible to women.” Although there has been a backlash in the patriarchal society, the “Boda Girls” have remained committed to keeping their jobs and teaching young girls these skills.