An inspiring new novel about the lives of Cambodian women, “Diving Deep, Going Far”, is one of the first to depict life as woman in the kingdom. It follows the lives of four young women – Nary, Nika, Soklin, and Ratana – who struggle to break free from cultural oppression and patriarchy, but triumph as they pass on the torch to the following generation.

The ongoing battle for women’s rights in Europe has been long and hard. Movements are stirred up and gaining momentum in Pakistan as well as in other south Asian countries. How this pursuit of struggle has shaped up, and whether it has brighter prospects in a conservative country like Pakistan? Sadaf Mirza, an eminent female writer and analyst, discusses it in an exclusive talk with DW.

Anyone tuning into mainstream pop music would find that a huge amount of songs seems to be interested in women’s bodies, whether through the lyrics or the video, which more often than not features one-dimensional women wearing little clothing, prancing around in front of the camera, playing no significant role other than to add a hint of sexuality in a neat package sold to the masses.

Hima Das, winner of 400 metres during the IAAF World U20 Championships day 3, 12 July 2018 in Tampere, Finland

After a seemingly endless wait, India has finally tasted success in the field of athletics. Recently, Hima Das, an 18-year-old from the northeastern state of Assam, became the first Indian woman to win Gold at the World Junior Athletics.  The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) congratulated her on her success on Twitter but did not refrain from taking a jibe at her poor English.

Though women’s movements are gaining ground in India, women remain extremely vulnerable in society. Every day, rape, torture and violence hit the headlines. Let’s examine this issue with the feminist writer and activist Urvashi Butalia, who established India’s first feminist publishing house “Kaali” in 1984. Urvashi Butalia in conversation with our correspondent Apoorva Agrawal.

Standing in front of a row of five paintings, four of them featuring a woman while the other one was a canvas of eyes, Phaving Phung beamed with pride.