Source: The Reporter
By Yonas Abiye
The House of People's Representatives (HPR) on Thursday approved a draft to revise the existing Labor Proclamation which has been in place for a decade.
The newly revised bill, referred to as Labor Proclamation No.1156/2019, has granted female workers an extended period of maternal leave while it also extends the period of probation for employees who are newly recruited.
Source: CNN
Kampala, Uganda (CNN) — How do women get men who are standing in the way of gender equality to listen to them? Grab them by their genitalia.
That's the radical suggestion offered by jailed Ugandan feminist Stella Nyanzi.
"Unless you grab and squeeze hard, they're not listening," she said, wearing traditional African kitenge, red lipstick and a wry smile before a recent court hearing.
The academic, who has been in Luzira Women's Prison for eight months, is on trial after the government accused her of "cyber harassment and offensive communication" for penning and posting a poem on Facebook.
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation
New York — When the policy was in place in the Bush era, modern contraception use declined by 14% and pregnancy rates rose 12% in countries most reliant on U.S. family planning aid.
Source: UNFPA
Maseru, Lesotho — "We are now aware that everyone has rights, including key populations such as sex workers and the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people)," said Chairperson of the Parliamentary Social Cluster Portfolio Committee Moshoeshoe Fako.
Mr Fako was speaking during an oversight tour of health facilities by Lesotho's parliamentarians to inspect delivery of health services and discuss what has changed since the ICPD Programme of Action was put in place 25 years ago.
Source: South African Government
Briefing of Systemic Investigation Report of Shelters that accommodate victims of violence
The purpose of this briefing is to convey the outcomes of a systemic investigation that the Commission undertook to assess the state of shelters for victims of violence, but in particular, victims of gender-based violence (GBV) and members of the Lesbian, Gays Bisexual, Transgendered and Intersex (LGBTI) Communities.
Source: The Herald
THE Government has noted that the price of sanitary wear has shot beyond the reach of many women who have resorted to using unhygienic materials exposing them to various diseases despite the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) waiving customs duty on imports of the feminine product.
Source: Gender Links
Lilongwe , 20 June: History was made on June 19 when Malawi elected the first ever female Speaker of Parliament, a development gender and rights activists say is a victory for the country’s democracy and efforts for gender inclusion. In the 55 years of independence Malawi has never had a female Speaker of Parliament.
Source: Thomas Reuters Foundation
Vancouver — First Lady Fatima Bio angered activists this year when she said in a televised interview that, as a circumcised woman, she would not speak out against FGM
The first lady of Sierra Leone, who caused a furor this year when she said she did not think female genital mutilation was harmful, has said she will meet campaigners after being ambushed while addressing a major women's rights conference.
Source: Radio Dabanga
Kabkabiya — Two displaced women from the camps in Kabkabiya in North Darfur have been injured in attacks by paramilitaries on farms, under the pretext of ownership of the land.
Source: Premium Times
Over 15,000 refugees from Sokoto and Zamfara States, mainly women and children, are currently taking refuge in some communities of Niger Republic, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said.
Source: DW
Demonstrators in Sudan have been demanding a transition to a civilian government. An eyewitness reports on sexual atrocities committed during the dispersal of a sit-in outside the army's headquarters in Khartoum.
Source: The New Dawn
As Liberia gears up for the 2020 mid-term senatorial and 2023 general elections, several women in Bomi County are calling for electoral reforms to address the prevailing political realities. Speaking during a community media forum in Tubmanburg City and GbahJarkeh both in Senjeh District Bomi County, women raised several electoral reform issues ranging from elected official tenures, women participation, sitting lawmaker vying for another elected post and among others.
Source: RFI
President Cyril Ramaphosa swears in new parity cabinet. But can his mix of allies and enemies fast-track the delivery of urgent reforms?
Source: IOL
Any journalist in Morocco today who has the courage to criticise the illegal occupation of Western Sahara, Africa’s last colony, is now facing a prison sentence and a massive fine.
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation
Grandmothers and single mothers are among those being trained as community solar engineers, a programme which they say could transform lives in their communities
Source: This Is Africa
In a move that has dashed the hopes of equal treatment for the LGBTQI+ community in Zimbabwe, a Bill is set to go before that country’s parliament that would uphold the ban on same-gender marriage.
Source: VOA
Kenya’s high court on Friday upheld laws that criminalize gay sex. The much-anticipated ruling Friday was decided by a three-judge bench on Kenya’s High court in Nairobi.
Source: AllAfrica
Activists in Nigeria have accused police officers of raiding a Marie Stopes clinic in Lagos on May 21. The officers reportedly "harassed the health workers and patients and took away confidential client information".
Source: WHO
Beira — In the aftermath of Cyclone Idai which devastated large areas of Mozambique, a group of 15 dedicated women - mostly widows - have been credited with ensuring that sthere have been no cases of cholera in their district.
Source: IPS
Johannesburg — Does the name Ihsan Al Fagiri ring a bell? How about Heba Omer or Adeela Al Zaebaq?
It's likely that these names, among countless others, are not known to the average news consumer. But their tireless and dangerous work, however, has made news headlines as protests led to historic political change in Sudan.