Source: BBC
Kenya's parliament has approved a bill which would force companies to set aside special breastfeeding areas for employees with children.
Source: CTV News
A U.S.-based advocacy group said Wednesday that 98 girls in Central African Republic reported they were sexually abused by international peacekeepers, and three girls told UN staff they were tied up, undressed, and forced to have sex with a dog by a French military commander in 2014.
Source: Aljazeera
The mild-mannered woman who zips around a farmhouse packed with knick-knacks and insists her guests eat a meal before any introductions, presents a character at odds with her fearsome reputation of being Malawi's top marriage terminator.
Source: The Souther African Times
On 21 March South Africa celebrated Human Rights Day, commemorating the 1960 shooting of police upon peaceful protestors, which killed 69 people.
Source: Huffington Post
This year marks the 60th anniversary for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), an annual, global forum that takes place in March. The 2016 theme was “Planet 50-50: Step it up for Gender equality” with a call to “Pledge for Parity.” Many pledges connect to Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) 5, which strives for gender equality. Nestled within its target is 5.b, which aims to enhance “the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology (ICT), to promote the empowerment of women.”
Source: Tanzania Daily News
Zanzibar — Good news has been emerging from some parts of Zanzibar that incidents of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), slowly declining.
The positive news is attributed to vigorous sensitization campaigns conducted by gender activists at village level in collaboration with community leaders and effective use of Information and Knowledge Centers (IKCs).
Source: Sonke Gender Justice
Human rights have taken another knock. On 16 March 2016, Nigeria’s Senate rejected the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill, aimed at eliminating “all forms of discrimination” against women. The Bill was set to promote women’s equality in marriage, inheritance and education.
Source: One
This week we’ve had the honour of speaking to Ghana Code Club founder Ernestina Edem Appiah about her rise from IT secretary to kick-ass coder, business owner, NGO founder and spearhead of coding in Ghanaian schools!
Source: Nyasa Times
Andrew Longwe co-founded Capital Financial Services, a youth microfinance program in Malawi, with an ambitious goal -- to bring about socio-economic empowerment to youth and women in low-income groups through financial services.
Source: The Point
Gambega Ltd on 24 March held the official launching of its third batch of 5 by 20 Women Group, a Coca-Cola Company initiative that intends to train and set up 5 million women entrepreneurs by the year 2020.
Source: Angola Press Agency
Luanda — Women united in scientific research: "an assumption for technological development and innovation" is the event that will guide the 7th activities under the celebration of March-Women, to take place on Thursday in Luanda by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Source: The Herald
Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development Deputy Minister Abigail Damasane has challenged the Zimbabwe Staff College to embrace gender equity by enrolling more women at the Zimbabwe Defence Forces-run institution.
Source: Relief Web
Women must be placed at the centre of efforts to prevent or resolve conflict in Africa, speakers said today as the Security Council took up the “women, peace and security agenda”, considering the role of women in creating more peaceful and equitable societies on the continent. Read more...
Source: UN Women
UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality launched new research on women’s economic empowerment in fragile States this week on the sidelines of the 60th Commission on the Status of Women in New York.
Source: Daily Trust
Supporting women-led enterprises is a huge opportunity, as the World Economic Forum (WEF) has consistently found a strong correlation between gender equality and national competitiveness.
Source: Daily Nation
A Moroccan woman may have founded the first university in the world that still exists today in 859 AD in Fez, Morocco, but less than a third of researchers in Africa are women, according to data from UNESCO.
Source: The Herald
Women's football has been overshadowed by the men's game for the last century, but could gain momentum once it gets a financial boost and recognition from stakeholders keen on developing female sport in this cutthroat world.
Source: Los Angeles Times
The stark paleness of her skin and myths about albinos being tied to witchcraft made 17-year-old Bibiana Mashamba a subject of suspicion in her isolated African village.
Source: The Herald
LEGAL drafters from Sadc member states have approved the draft Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children Already in Marriage, setting the stage for its final adoption by the Plenary Assembly of the Sadc Parliamentary Forum.
Source: VOA Zimbabwe
A member of the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai, who is was part of a delegation of Zimbabwean women in New York attending the annual Commission on the Status of Women conference, says there is an urgent need to align some laws that protect women and girl rights with the country’s new constitution.