Against the backdrop of an upcoming U.N. Security Council (UNSC) meeting on women, peace and security, a coalition of some 63 international women’s groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has decried the absence of women during peace negotiations in post-conflict situations.
Sustained by institutional, cultural and structural discrimination, violence against women continues, with Africa particularly badly affected.
When the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) adopted a landmark resolution numbered 1325 back in 2000, it was supposed to integrate gender into its core mandate: the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security.
In Uganda, only 38% of midwives are fully qualified, leaving the majority ill-equipped to deal with complicated births. But a pioneering project is using online study to fill the training gap.
Landmark resolution calls on member states to condemn FGM and pass laws to protect girls and women 'from this violence'.
As the UN marks International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, statistics show that 70 per cent of women and girls will experience some form of violence during their lifetime. Pictured, in Cambodia, an acid attack survivor who was assaulted by her brother-in-law when she threatened to report him for selling his two year-old daughter to traffickers.
Many countries have ratified ILO conventions on maternity protection, but pregnant women still face workplace discrimination. Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25), the ILO publishes guidelines on how to implement maternity protection policies.
From a stallholder earning up to £16 profit a day selling fish, to a farmer buying more land, a village finance scheme is giving Ghanaian women the chance to fulfil their ambitions.
NINETEEN motorcyclists are riding across nine Southern African countries to mobilise men and the private sector for action against gender-based violence.
Source: The Observer
Alex Kiwanuka says that emergency contraceptives, often referred to as morning-after pills, are the most commonly used contraceptive (as compared to non-emergency contraceptives). Kiwanuka works with the youth at Reproductive Health Uganda, and his observation could be representative of this demography. However, when he talks about the ways in which we abuse or misuse contraceptives, it isn't only the youth he talks about.
A care centre founded by four men in South Africa's KwaThema township offers health and psychological support to vulnerable women and children.
Source: The Namibian
GENDER equality and inner party governance within Swapo will not be on the agenda of this week's congress.
Source: Aswat Masriya
A Facebook page that goes by the name "The Uprising of Women in the Arab World" launched a two-week campaign on Sunday to expose the suffering of women.
Source: MSF
A report released today from Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) highlights the devastating impact of violence on the lives and health of civilians in South Sudan's Jonglei state. Women and children as young as four months old are among the victims. Healthcare is threatened as medical facilities are targeted and destroyed.
Source: Open Society Initative for Southern Africa
South Africa has proven to be one of the most progressive countries on the African continent in terms of observing tolerance and people's rights, especially the rights of minority groups. However, although South Africa has made positive strides in equality and in guaranteeing rights, especially pertaining to sexual orientation, the country has seen a dramatic rise in brutal attacks against lesbians.
Source: IRIN News
The new government is responding positively to health workers and youth groups who have long called for a change in the 1861 law banning abortion except in exceptional circumstances.
In the aftermath of the political upheavals in the Arab world, women's rights have largely fallen by the wayside. Human rights organizations are concerned that gender equality has actually taken a step backward.
Source: Leadership
The Joint Task Force [JTF} in Maiduduri, the Borno State capital has refuted media reports that about 20 university female students were killed by suspected members of Boko Haram.
THE one third gender rule on elective positions should be achieved instantly and not progressively, the Supreme Court was told yesterday.
In Bo, central Sierra Leone, maternal mortality rates have dropped 61 percent since 1990 thanks to cost-free 24/7 emergency obstetric care and an efficient ambulance service and referral system.