A growing number of women defy generations of Thai Buddhist tradition by becoming ordained as novice monks at the unrecognised all-female Songdhammakalyani monastery outside Bangkok.

Last month, Boodsabann Chanthawong (below) joined a growing number of women defying generations of Thai Buddhist tradition by becoming ordained as novice monks at an unrecognised all-female monastery outside Bangkok.

A surrogate mother in Cambodia, pictured at five months pregnant in 2016.

Pregnant and scared, Yin hides in a house on the outskirts of Phnom Penh — one of an untold number of Cambodian surrogate mothers risking jail time for lucrative payouts from Chinese clients.

The end of China’s one-child policy has driven desperate couples too old to bring a baby to term to poorer countries in the Mekong region, where a “womb-for-rent” industry is brushing up against legal barriers. Cambodia banned commercial surrogacy in 2016 but still has brokers — and eligible young women — skirting the ban for a price.

Slavery may be banned worldwide, but the practice continues to this day. In Germany, instances of forced prostitution and labor exploitation have fueled debate about what contributes to slavery and how it can be stopped.

In collaboration with EyeEm, DW invited photographers to share images that offer an insight into the lives of women around the world. This one was taken in Thailand by Chutima Treearayapong.

While westerners flock to beaches in search of the perfect tan, white skin is an ideal for many with darker skin. In Asian countries, billions of euros are spent on skin whitening products, which account for over a quarter of cosmetic sales.

© picture-alliance/dpa/EPA/R. Yongrit

Even though female genital mutilation (FGM) is internationally recognized as a violation of human right it is still practiced on babies and young girls in many countries because the misconceptions surrounding FGM are deeply rooted in traditions reaching back many generations. But the fight against FGM continues and some of the campaigns against it have begun to bear fruit if only slowly. Read more news about FGM and other topics about women here!