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‘Men and women are equal.’ This is what Article 3 of the Basic Law states – and furthermore: ‘The state promotes the effective enforcement of equal rights for women and men and works towards the elimination of existing disadvantages.’ Is this the case in Germany? No. Gender equality remains a project and has not yet been achieved. Bonn is particularly behind.

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© Kann Kaung / Myanmar Now

Myanmar is currently facing a double crisis: The devastating earthquake on 28 March 2025 claimed over 2,886 lives (as of 2 April 2025) and triggered a serious humanitarian catastrophe. Buildings, hospitals and roads are destroyed, communication routes are interrupted. For many activists and trade unionists, the earthquake is adding to an already threatening situation. They are not only victims of the destruction caused by the quake, but also continue to be the target of oppression and persecution by the military junta. Just hours after the quake, the junta continued its bombings in the Karen State, an area where many resistance fighters are present.

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The International German Gymnastics Festival Leipzig 2025 sends a strong signal for sustainability in sport. As part of the fairness campaign "Sport Fairändert - Our club, our values. For a fair future", a competition of ideas was launched, which encourages sports clubs to develop innovative projects for greater social and ecological commitment in the field of textile products.

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International Women's Day 2025 is celebrated internationally. Motto #AccelerateAction It is therefore crucial to address the systemic and structural gender biases embedded in global supply chains. Women in clothing and footwear factories continue to face an increased risk of gender-based violence and health threats. Nevertheless, their specific needs are consistently overlooked in legal frameworks, corporate guidelines and workplace structures.

The Multi-Actor Partnership (MAP) on Gender and Health in the Clothing and Shoe Industry, consisting of Cividep India, TURC Indonesia, FEMNET and SOUTHWIND, seeks to address these injustices through political advocacy and worker-oriented solutions. The findings highlight the urgent need for gender-responsive occupational health and safety (G*OSH) guidelines to address both physical and mental health issues.

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A Thai worker holds up a sign saying 'Otto - Help us to get our wages back'

"I want to say to OTTO that we have been making clothes for ten years," says Hnin Hnin*, a worker from Myanmar who made clothes for OTTO brands in the Thai Royal Knitting factory. “We have been harmed and feel hopeless, but we want help to get the money we deserve.”

In April 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the management of the Royal Knitting Factory in Thailand dismissed Hnin Hnin and a further 208 employees without notice. More than 90 percent of those affected are women from Myanmar. Their employer unlawfully refused them wages for work done and severance pay. Almost five years later, and despite the Thai court ruling against Royal Knitting, the 209 workers are still waiting for over $1,000,000 in unpaid wages and severance payments.

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© Initiative Supply Chain Act

Bonn. Friedrich Merz has torn down a firewall when, at the end of January, he brought about a majority in the Bundestag with the votes of the far-right AfD, instead of finding a response to the terrible murders together with the democratic parties. It's a dangerous caesura. What decisions will Merz decide as a possible chancellor together with the AfD? Right-wing extremism and anti-feminism are closely linked, according to scientific research. The AfD represents a reactionary image of women, and one of its leaders (Maximilian Krah) claims that ‘feminism is cancer’. Even though the AfD has Alice Weidel as its top candidate, the proportion of women in the AfD parliamentary group is just over 13 percent.

The shift to the right strengthens the danger of sexism, racism, misogyny. Almost every day there is a femicide in Germany. Every day, more than 140 women and girls in Germany are victims of a sexual offense.

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© GNF

The Global Nature Fund (GNF) and the Traditionsclub 1. FC Nürnberg have started a cooperation as part of the Fair Wear Works project. Together, they are committed to sustainable textiles in sports and merchandise as well as fair textile supply chains. The cooperation aims not only to promote ecological standards in purchasing, but also to strengthen social justice in the global textile industry.

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© FEMNET

How consciously do you consume? The poster invites you to question your own clothing consumption and try out new ways. It encourages us to think about alternatives: Does it always have to be new, or are there sustainable alternatives such as secondhand, loan or exchange?

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