Ruchi Kumar

Ruchi Kumar is an independent journalist covering conflict and politics in South Asia, Middle East and Eastern Europe through a gender lens. You can follow her work at @RuchiKumar.

Trapped and Trafficked By Age 4: What It’s Like to Grow Up the Daughter of a Mail-Order Bride

Smuggled out of Russia and brought to the U.S., Katya Suvorova grew up in fear as an undocumented immigrant. As she began to tell her story, she realized she was far from alone.

by Ruchi Kumar

Hundreds of Afghan Men Risked Their Lives to Protest the Taliban’s Treatment of Women

Afghan women have been speaking out against the Taliban for years. After dozens were brutally detained, men in one city finally joined them.

by Ruchi Kumar

'There’s Always Something to Say'—Indian Women on Breaking Into the Rap World

Men might dominate the rap scene in India, but women there are taking the art form to new levels.

by Ruchi Kumar

A Colonial-Era Law Makes Marital Rape Legal in India. The Government Refuses to Change It.

In India, arranged marriage is a common practice. Some marriages work out, of course, while in others, a family’s honor is protected, whatever the cost.

by Ruchi Kumar

‘A Scar That Stays With Us’—Two Years After a Devastating Earthquake, a Refusal to Be Forgotten

Two years after a 2023 earthquake devastated swaths of Syria and Turkey, lives are still being rebuilt. Women bear the brunt of it.

by Ruchi Kumar

When Dreams Are Put On Hold

In Afghanistan, women's blocked opportunities to have a career, contribute to society and earn a living are creating a mental health crisis.

by Fariba Akbari, +1

‘If We Don’t, Who Will?’—How Women in Afghanistan Are Speaking Out

It is dangerous to protest in Afghanistan. But it is also dangerous to be a woman. That’s what keeps Afghan women speaking out in whatever ways they can.

by Ruchi Kumar