Female genital mutilation (FGM) is mostly carried out on young girls when they have no option to make their wishes heard—sometime between infancy and age 15. It is a human rights violation affecting at least 200 million girls and women alive today in the world.
Feb. 6 is the international day for the abolition of all kinds of female genital mutilation and cutting. The practice of FGM/C in Africa and the Middle East is a thousand-year-old tradition consisting in cutting the clitoris of baby girls, teenagers and women with a razor blade or an ugly special knife.
El Obeid — In the early 1980s, Abdullah Ali Abdullah saw constant infections and childbirth complications while volunteering in a health centre in Sudan's North Kordofan state. He soon realized many of these issues had the same root cause - female genital mutilation (FGM).
The Wall Street Journal
The crowd of young women fell silent as Grace Dauda limped to the stage, slowed by an old shrapnel wound suffered after she and her classmates were kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents in 2014.
UN News
The human cost of South Sudan’s long-running conflict has reached “epic proportions” with the number of refugees set to rise beyond three million by the end of this year, potentially making it Africa’s largest refugee crisis since the mid-1990s, the head of the UN refugee agency said on Thursday.
Source: Women's advancment deeply
South Africa’s draft law on a new minimum wage is being hailed by some as a step towards alleviating poverty. But rights advocates say the bill excludes certain jobs, especially various types of domestic work, which are mainly done by women.
Throughout history, women, half of the Ethiopian population, were not entitled to equal rights, powers and opportunities with their counterparts and the discriminatory socio-cultural beliefs and practices had hampered their participation and benefit from country's development.
Lilongwe — Executive Director for Action Aid Malawi, Grace Malera says there is need to increase women participation in decision making positions in the country.
The African Union has taken several initiatives to demonstrate its commitment to eliminating injustices against women in Africa. The most recent has been a meeting ahead of the African Union (AU) summit scheduled for later this year to highlight the continent's commitment to gender equality.
In Zimbabwe, the bulk of rural communities and urban poor still get their energy supplies from the forests, leading to deforestation and land degradation.
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation
Few women are likely to win seats in Nigeria's 2019 general elections due to discrimination, a lack of will from political parties and a shortage of female candidates.
Vice President Inonge Wina has urged the African Union (AU) to ensure that the gender equality criteria are included in the African Peer Review Mechanism in order for governments to adhere to commitments made during conferences.
The British government will support Nigerian women who want to be actively involved in politics.
The six are among the 21 Cabinet Secretaries announced by the President.
Source: ENCA
Liberia has imposed a one-year ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) - a highly contentious issue in the West African country - but campaigners said on Thursday it may not be enforceable and urged new president George Weah to push for a permanent law.
Feminism is not ‘un-African.’ This is a multi-generational, multi-layered movement of women across the continent, including those who resist gender roles in everyday life.
Bikini photos and sexy dance videos might soon be a thing of the past if Tanzania’s government has its way. A number of artists have now been banned from posting their content.
Dowa — Police in Dowa have expressed concern over the tendency of increasing withdrawals of Gender Based Violence cases by women and girls against their perpetrators at the Victim Support Units (VSUs).
Every child has a right to education but lack of safe menstrual hygiene solutions are often a barrier to many girls especially in the rural areas where some families cannot afford to buy sanitary pads every month.
Victims are from Rugombo, Buganda and Mugina communes in Cibitoke western province. Women activists decry these despicable acts and demand justice and administration executives to intervene.