Source: allAfrica
Despite appearances and media spin, "migration does not have to be chaotic or seem like an invasion," and as yet another turbulent year for millions of people on the move comes to an end, the United Nations is marking International Migrants Day with a worldwide call for more cooperation and a resolute rejection of intolerance and policies driven by xenophobic rhetoric.
"We have seen the continued devastating effect of armed conflict on civilian populations [...] witnessed the unacceptable loss of thousands of lives of people in transit in the Mediterranean and elsewhere, and the rise of populist movements that seek to [...] blame [refugees and migrants] for various ills of society," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message on the International Day.
Yet, within this turbulence there are rays of hope, with concerned citizens and communities opening their arms and hearts. There has also been a promising international response, culminating with the New York Declaration adopted in September at the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants.
"It is now crucial that governments honor and build on their commitments to govern large movements of refugees and migrants in a way that is compassionate, people centered, gender-responsive and rooted in fundamental human rights," said Ban, calling the Declaration a critical step towards the adoption of a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration in 2018.
Underscoring that "every migrant is a human being with human rights," the UN chief said that to protect and uphold those rights stronger international cooperation is needed among countries of origin, transit and destination that is guided by international law and standards.
"We must reject intolerance, discrimination and policies driven by xenophobic rhetoric and the scapegoating of migrants. Those who abuse and seek to harm migrants must be held to account."
Picking up that thread, IOM Director General William Lacy Swing said: "The upheaval we see all around in our politics should serve as a wake-up call to prepare rather than panic. We need to mold the future rather than ignore it [by] embracing the inevitability of migration, changing the perceptions of migrants among our people and better integrating migrants in our societies."
"There is a real demographic revolution going on today and it is up to us to manage it for the benefit of all," he continued, noting that while most migrants simply want an opportunity and would welcome even a temporary one, with the right support, those that stay would contribute to whatever society they settle in, whether it is economically or culturally.
For its part, UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, noted that there are over 244 million migrants in the world, almost half are women, and with ongoing movements of refugees and migrants, it is critical that the global community comes together with unified and gender-responsive solutions that address both the opportunities and challenges that migration presents.
The New York Declaration underlines the need for promoting and protecting the rights of migrant women and girls at all stages of migration. Moreover, the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration in 2018 is expected to become a dynamic vehicle for migration governance, which sees migrants, including women and girls, as agents of change with valuable skills, powerful voices and the potential for leadership.
Source: Voice of Africa News
DAKAR — More than 300 communities across four West African countries with some of the world's highest rates of female genital mutilation (FGM) are this month declaring themselves free of the practice in public ceremonies, a campaign group said on Tuesday.
Source: allAfrica
A women's rights promotion body, Reseau des Femmes, has called on policymakers to develop a framework that can help entrench values in girls and boys at early age to ensure they are shaped into future generation that is respectful of gender and women's rights.
Source: The Monitor
It's no secret that girls' enrolment in, and completion of primary, secondary and tertiary education lags behind that of boys throughout Uganda.
Source:allAfrica
An Ethiopian-born model, maternal health advocate, clothing designer, and actress Liya Kebede once said, "Investing in women's lives is an investment in sustainable development, in human rights, in future generations and consequently in our own long-term national interests."
The government has adopted the national strategic plan to reduce maternal deaths from 432 to 292 in 100,000 live births by 2020. Under the national strategic plan on reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, 100 theatre rooms will be built in different health centres in the country for emergency services.
Source: The Independent
Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Rebecca Kadaga has urged fellow legislators to help end violence targeted at women during elections.
Born in 1979 in Kaoma district in the western part of Zambia, Likonge Makai, an energy systems expert, did not know that one day she would be a source of light to many families in Zambia.
Source: allAfrica
Government has launched new national guidelines on clinical care and management of survivors of sexual violence.
Source: allAfrica
Monrovia — The United States Ambassador to Liberia Christine Elder says the wounds of the civil war are still affecting women who were raped during the crises.
Source: allAfrica
Mara — Tarime is among the six districts in Mara Region, where child marriage is still being practised, despite campaigns by local and international organisations to stop it.
Source: News Deeply
On the dusty soccer field of a high school in Goma, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), coach Claire Kabongo emerges from a team of boys and dashes off to check on the girls. “Faster, Camille!” she shouts to one of the students, running alongside her.
Source: News Deeeply
When researchers for the Washington, D.C.-based spoke to people in rural Kenya and Zambia about their views on child marriage, they heard a range of reasons for why a girl might get married before she turns 18, from financial necessity to tradition. “She has not gone to school for long, so she cannot wait that long for the right age to get married,” said one mother. “She cannot just sit around waiting to turn 20.”
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation
Almost 200,000 Kenyan households, many headed by poor, rural women, have lifted themselves out of poverty using mobile money services, experts said on Thursday, calling for the technology to be introduced in other developing countries.
Source: allAfrica
Kisubi — The Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) is laying strategies to ensure women occupy at least 50 per cent of leadership roles in Ugandan sports federations in the next five years. Through the Women in Sport Commission, UOC has so far trained 232 women in modern sports management. 200 of those have attained certificates in sports management while 32 are to be honoured with diplomas in Advanced Sports Management.
Source: allAfrica
Luanda — The emancipation of women and gender equality are the result of a complex process of removing barriers that often requires a weighted practice of actions in favor of it, said Tuesday in Luanda, the Minister of Family and woman Promotion (MINFAMU), Filomena Delgado.
Source: IPS
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 13 2016 (IPS) - Achieving gender equality in UN staff appointments will be a “clear priority” for incoming UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, when he takes up the UN’s top administrative role in January 2017.
Source: Reuters
BUNAMBIYU, Tanzania, Dec 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As the darkness falls on the plains around Bunambiyu, a remote village in Tanzania's northern Shinyanga region, Elizabeth Julius switches on her solar lantern to finish sewing clothes for her customers.
Source: Human Rights Watch
(Beirut) – Police arrested a leading Egyptian women’s rights defender at her home in Cairo on December 7, 2016, a serious escalation in the authorities’ ongoing crackdown on independent rights groups, Human Rights Watch said today.
The pervasive gender gap in economic activities is constraining the African continent from achieving its full economic potential, averaging a loss of about $95 billion annually or $580 billion in sub-Saharan Africa since 2010.