Source: South African Government News Agency
In celebration of the Reproductive Health Month, Gauteng Department of Health has encouraged pregnant women to know their health status and that of their children.
"The drive to encourage our people to know their health status will not only assist the department in its goal to reduce infant, child and maternal deaths but will also ensure that the mothers and their babies live a long and healthy life," said Gauteng Health MEC, Hope Papo.
Source: Amnesty International
The Egyptian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release three women arrested last November at a protest at Mansoura University, said Amnesty International.
Source: New Zimbabwe
THE loss of land and a gender hierarchy, among other factors, are forcing some young girls - with parental consent - to forsake school and turn to sex work on diamond mines in the Marange region of eastern Zimbabwe.
"Commercial sex among girls as young as 12 years has become a natural way out of poverty for these children and their families.
Source: Voice of America
Dakar — Ibtihaj Muhammad was the first-ever female Muslim athlete to compete on behalf of the United States in an international competition. Muhammad spoke to an all-girls school in Dakar Friday about her experiences as a female African-American Muslim fencer.
Source: Voice of America
Africa now has three female heads of state, after Catherine Samba-Panza of the Central African Republic took office in January. Though women leaders remain the exception in African politics, activists say things are looking up.
Women are breaking into the "boys club" of the African presidency.
Source: Times of Zambia
THE step taken by Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) to train 20 men as its ambassadors to spearhead Its "Good Husband Campaign" aimed at reducing rising cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) against women in Eastern Province is a step in right direction.
Source: KC Team
As a single mother of seven, Ajeng*, 35, was forced into sex work to support her children when she could find no other job.
In 2006, Ajeng discovered she was living with HIV and as a result her marriage broke down.
Source: Destinyconnect
Government's 2013 announcement of a bill that would force companies and the public sector to have women in 50% of their decision-making positions has been met with much criticism and debate.
Source: Genderlinks
Johannesburg, 7 February: While South Africa celebrates 20 years of democracy this year, the country will also be holding its national election, the first since 1994, without Madiba. If the last two months are anything to go by, we will surely witness one of the most interesting, perhaps entertaining, elections yet.
Source: Care2
At least 125 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) in Africa and the Middle East, according to a UNICEF report issued on Monday. In 50 percent of the countries practicing FGM — roughly 29 across the two regions — the procedure involves girls under five years old. In other countries, FGM occurs when girls are between the ages of 5 and 14.
Source: Sudan Tribune
Khartoum — An 18-year-old pregnant Ethiopian woman who was the victim of a brutal gang-rape last August in Omdurman has been sleeping on the concrete floor of a police cell since her arrest on 17 January, advocacy group, the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA), said in a public statement on Tuesday.
Source: Daily Trust
Kaduna — One woman dies of cervical cancer in every two minutes worldwide while about 9,659 die of the disease every year in Nigeria, the Managing Director, Society for Family Health (SFH) Sir Bright Ekweremadu said in Kaduna yesterday.
Source: Leadership (Abuja)
The Kaduna State Government said on Thursday that 1,500 women have been trained under its SURE-P programme in the state. This is contained in a document released by the state Ministry for Women Affairs and obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna.
Source: The Daily Observer
The Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA) Wednesday commissioned a water project through the installation of four standpipes at the Denton Bridge in Banjul, meant to support the Sarro Women Association (SWA) in their small-scale agricultural production ventures.
Source: The Star
The International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation is a United Nations (UN) campaign held on February 6 every year with the aim of stopping genital mutilation of girls and women. Sadly, here in Kenya, we are still talking eleven years on as our girls continue to be exposed to this horrific mutilation.
Source: New Era
WINDHOEK – Rural women are calling on government to introduce laws and policies relating to the promotion of women's political and socio-economic empowerment that are practical, sustainable and tangible.
Source: Voice of America
DAKAR — Thursday marks the U.N.-sponsored International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Despite international campaigns, the United Nations says millions of girls in Africa remain at risk. In Liberia, there is no law against it and FGM is still common practice.
Source: UN News Centre
The United Nations and the African Union (AU) affirmed their common commitment "to put an end to history's oldest and least condemned crime" by signing landmark agreement on the prevention of and response to conflict-related sexual violence in Africa, a senior UN official today said.
Source: UN News
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today pledged to root for women everywhere ahead of his departure for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, while stressing the need for the United Nations and its partners to lay the groundwork to enable all women to enjoy their rights and be empowered.
"We are at a key moment," Mr. Ban said at a photo-op with former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), ahead of their meeting at UN Headquarters.
He noted that 2015 will be crucial for the future of development and the future of women's rights. Next year marks the target date for the achievement of the global anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals, which contain specific benchmarks for gender equality.
Countries are also working toward the adoption of global development agenda beyond 2015, as well as on securing a global climate change agreement by the end of next year.
2015 also marks the 20th anniversary of the landmark Beijing World Conference on Women. The Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, adopted unanimously by 189 countries, is considered the key global policy document on gender equality, addressing critical areas such as women and poverty, violence against women and the human rights of women.
"There has been a great deal of progress since then, but too many women still face far too much discrimination and violence," said Mr. Ban, adding that the UN family looks forward to continuing to work closely with Ms. Clinton for sustainable development and opportunities for all the world's women and girls.
The UN chief is set to leave New York today for Russia, where he will attend the opening ceremony on Friday of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
The Games, he said, show the power of sport to unite people regardless of gender or sexual orientation. This year's Games will also showcase progress for women, who will be competing for the first time in the ski jump.
"You will not see me at the top of the jump," the Secretary-General said, while adding that he will be rooting for women athletes to jump high and leap far. "We have a responsibility to make a jump and [lay] the ground first so that they can jump... Let's work together to make this world better for all, including women and girls."
This week UN Women is hosting a number of events on gender equality on the margins of the current meeting of the working group tasked with preparing a proposal on the Sustainable Development Goals called for by Member States at the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The overall issues to be discussed by the group include oceans and seas, forests, biodiversity, conflict prevention, post-conflict peacebuilding and the promotion of durable peace, and rule of law and governance and promoting equality.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (second right) with from left: Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the Executive Director of UN Women, former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea Clinton. UN Photo/Evan Schneider
Source: ANSAmed
In a clinic providing psychological support for victims of torture, tucked away in a side street downtown, medical doctor and human rights defender Magda Adly spoke to ANSAmed about an Egypt back under military rule and the situation of women therein.