Johannesburg - More than 60 babies are stillborn in South Africa every day, The Lancet medical journal reported on Friday.
Alarming numbers of Ivorian women and girls have been raped, sexually assaulted, beaten and harassed by armed men at home or as they were fleeing violence and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) fears those who are reporting incidents represent a tiny fraction of the victims.
Source: UN Radio
The Security Council has been urged to ensure that perpetrators of sexual violence are not given amnesty in any ceasefire agreement for Libya or Côte d'Ivoire.
Source: World Health Organization
Some 2.6 million stillbirths occurred worldwide in 2009, according to the first comprehensive set of estimates published today in a special series of The Lancet medical journal.
Source: UN News & Media
Margot Wallström, the Secretary-General's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, briefed the Security Council today, discussing cases of sexual violence in several recent conflicts, including in Libya, Côte d'Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Forces loyal to President-elect Alassane Ouattara killed hundreds of civilians, raped more than 20 alleged supporters of his rival, Laurent Gbagbo, and burned at least 10 villages in Côte d'Ivoire's far western region, Human Rights Watch said today.
Source: IRIN
The annual number of stillbirths around the world is more than double the number of people who die from HIV-related causes, according to a new report that says this widely overlooked epidemic could be dramatically mitigated with better antenatal care.
Source: UN News Centre
It is critical to prevent conflict-related sexual violence before it happens, a top United Nations official stressed today, stating that the problem warrants continuous consideration by the Security Council as it deals with fighting in countries such as Libya, Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Cultural practices are still shutting down doors for women in Tanzania to own property, despite government’s efforts to address the issue, researchers say.
Source: The Washington Post
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton decried the marginalization of women in the Islamic world Tuesday night, calling women’s empowerment key to true democracy in the Middle East.
Activists say women, who make up more than half of the population, need more than 25% of official positions.
Source: IRIN
A three-month campaign by Addis Ababa's health bureau hopes to boost adherence to antiretroviral (ARVs) drugs in the Ethiopian capital by improving communication between patients and health service providers.
Source: IRIN
Antiretroviral treatment has given millions of people around the world - six million at last count - a new lease on life. However, less-than-strict adherence undermines the efficacy of the drugs.
Source: The Guardian
Women escaping violence in Ivory Coast have been raped and sexually abused. These women will need long-term support so they can help re-establish peace and revive their communities.
Source: The Herald
AFRICAN women from more than 12 countries in the region will from today meet in Harare and deliberate on ways to accelerate implementation of international commitments for the advancement of gender equality and economic empowerment.
Source: IRIN
“My father is old. At home we did not have enough for everyone, so I wanted to better our situation and join the army to help my family and my mother... After one year with the armed group FSR [Front for the Salvation of the Republic], I became commander of a group of 50 fighters.
Source: IRIN
Given the choice, people preferred to pay for subsidized condoms in attractive packaging because it gave them greater social status, rather than using free condoms, an official in the northern Zambian town of Mpulungu told IRIN.
Source: USAID
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a speech at Ahfad University for Women in Omdurman, Sudan, on April 9, USAID Deputy Administrator Donald Steinberg announced a new USAID global grant program to increase the substantive involvement of women in peace processes.
Source: IPS
As Nigeria tries again to begin its staggered general elections on Apr. 9, spare a thought for the women who will be putting themselves forward as candidates in an overwhelmingly male field.
Source: IPS
Martha Karua fears nothing and no one, and when her adversaries look back at her long track record in politics, they must get nervous. This previously staunch supporter of Mwai Kibaki resigned as justice minister in 2009, and will challenge all comers for the presidency at the head of her own party next year.