Women This Week: Women Escalate Efforts Against Mining Company in Guinea-Bissau  

Authorities Had Previously Been Unresponsive to Complaints  

On Sunday, several hundred women protesters in Guinea-Bissau attacked a Chinese-run zircon mining site near the northwest border with Senegal. The protestors set the facilities and equipment on fire after local authorities failed to respond to claims that the mining was damaging their farms. The women fled to the forest following the attack, but several—including the village leader—were later arrested in a neighboring town. The Interior Minister reported that “All the facilities have been burned down” without providing further clarity on the level of destruction. Aissato Cadjaf, one of the women who took part in the protest, said, “We told them we didn’t want sand extracted without our consent,” adding that, “All our rice fields are destroyed. There are no more fish in the small river near the site.” Despite their protests, no one had listened until the demonstration, in which the women outnumbered the police force. Zircon is a mineral used in ceramics and construction.  

U.S. Army to Implement ‘Sex-Neutral’ Combat Fitness Test Based on Male Standards  

The U.S. Army has announced that all soldiers will now be required to undergo the same physical fitness test for combat roles, regardless of sex. This decision came after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the elimination of gender-specific fitness requirements for frontline roles, arguing that women were asked to meet lower standards. As part of this effort, the Army has rolled out a new screening mechanism called the Army Fitness Test. Women will now be graded against male standards and will be required to lift 140 pounds instead of 120. The time requirement for the two-mile run will also be lowered. The new regulations—which affect 21 combat specialties—will likely reduce the number of women able to meet the requirements, forcing them to change their military occupation. Previous studies of U.S. Army soldiers concluded that “gaps in cardiorespiratory and muscular performances between men and women should be addressed through targeted physical training programs that aim to minimize physiological differences” rather than applying identical standards. The fitness requirements for non-combat roles will remain differentiated based on sex. Hegseth has previously been critical of women serving in combat roles, writing, “women cannot physically meet the same standards as men” in his book.  

Access to Education and Contraception Vital to Reducing Adolescent Maternal Mortality  

On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) published new guidelines aimed at preventing teenage pregnancy in low and middle-income countries. Teenage pregnancy remains the leading cause of death for girls aged 15 to 19. Yet each year, more than 21 million adolescent girls in these countries become pregnant—half of which are unintended. In its recommendations, the WHO emphasizes a number of measures intended to help prevent pregnancies, including ensuring that girls are able to complete school and receive financial literacy education, promoting economic empowerment, and expanding options for young girls outside of child marriage. Further recommendations include expanding access to and uptake of contraception, as well as expanding access to resources that provide information on reducing early pregnancy, delaying the onset of sexual activity, and improving adolescents’ knowledge of their bodies and reproductive health. Dr. Sheri Bastien, a WHO Scientist, highlighted that young adults must “challenge the major gender inequalities that continue to drive high rates of child marriage and early pregnancy in many parts of the world.” 

Diya Mehta is the intern for the Women and Foreign Policy Program and contributed to the research for this post.