Marriage at age nine is permitted, working is not; make-up is evil. Those are points written in a new treatise by female “Islamic State” supporters. Now three schoolgirls from London are believed to have crossed from Turkey into Syria. Read more for women’s news that made it to the headlines.

Missing schoolgirls feared recruited by ‘Islamic State’ reach Syria: UK police

Police investigating the disappearance of three London schoolgirls believe the girls have crossed from Turkey into Syria. The teenagers are feared to have been recruited by the militant group “Islamic State.” Read more here.

The utopian ideals that attract females to Islamic State

Three schoolgirls from east London have flown to Turkey, amid fears they may be travelling to Syria to join the Islamic State terrorist group. Dr Erin Saltman is a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, and has looked into why women from the West join Islamic State. Read more here.

French woman kidnapped by gunmen in Sanaa

Gunmen have kidnapped a French national working in Sanaa. She was working for an international organization in Yemen’s capital, officials said. Read more here.

The case of Asia Bibi: A husband fights for his wife

The fear is a constant companion for Ashiq Masih. The husband of Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi, who is sentenced to death for blasphemy, spoke to DW about his struggle to save his wife’s life. Read more here.

Outrage over sexual abuse sparks debate on public transport

The murder and attempted rape of a young Turkish student has sparked a worldwide debate on violence against women. Social media users also raised the question of how to provide safer public transport for women. Read more here.

Bride trafficking on the rise in India

The numbers of trafficked brides in India has grown by a staggering 30 percent in the past three years. That’s what researchers have discovered. In northwestern India in particular, the practice of female foeticide has led to an increasing imbalance in the ratio of men to women. In some states, there are only 830 girls for every 1000 boys creating a demand for marriageable women. Read more here.

Hong Kong woman convicted for beating Indonesian maid

A Hong Kong woman has been convicted of cruel treatment towards an Indonesian maid working for her. The case has highlighted the plight of migrant domestic workers in the financial hub. Read more here.

‘I am not a child,’ says blind woman restricted from thermal bath

How many years can one woman swim, before she has proved that it’s safe? Rhetorical or not, this is the question being posed to authorities in Germany at the moment. It concerns a spa in a pastoral Bavarian town. Read more here.

Thailand bans surrogacy for foreigners, homosexuals

Following two high-profile incidents last year, Thailand has decided to ban commercial surrogacy. Lawmakers have said they don’t want their country to be the “womb of the world.” Read more here.

German film tells Anne Frank’s story through her father’s eyes

It’s been nearly 70 years since Anne Frank was killed in a Nazi concentration camp. The director of a new German-made docudrama on her life, broadcast this week, tells DW what makes his film so unique. Read more here.