Source: New Dawn
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has launched an anti-rape campaign in Monrovia under the theme, Stand Up Against Rape. Addressing the ceremony at the Ministry of Gender and Development on Wednesday, President Sirleaf noted that most rape victims in Liberia are children from three months to 14 years, including both girls and boys.
Cameroon is making efforts to improve human rights, including by combating violence against women, according to its Foreign Minister Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo.
Source: FrontPageAfrica
Six children who lost their lives to injuries caused by rape during last year and the first half of this 2013 were on Wednesday remembered by the nation through lighting of candles by six other children at the launch of the Anti-Rape Campaign. Experts say the number may be more than six deaths as many families would not report rape because of the stigma.
Source: This Day
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has joined other forces to pledge its support for young girls, who want to delve into the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as a profession. The Commission said the purpose was to enable them contribute their quota to national development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
Source: Daily Trust
As part of activities to mark this year's International Women's Day, the United Nations Gender Theme Group yesterday launched a gender equality briefing kit (GEBK).The GEB kit is a mechanism that provides appropriate information on gender equality and women empowerment for the ultimate goal of ensuring that the populace is adequately informed on gender equality issues.
Source: Daily News
THE Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) launched the Tanzania Human Rights Report for 2012, with violence against children taking centre stage.
Speaking at the launch, LHRC acting Executive Director Harold Sungusia said the 11th report saw new trends in human rights violations, including increased cases of child abuse.
Source: FrontPageAfrica
An alumnus of the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program of the United States Department of States administered by Meridian International Center under the project entitled "American Youth: Inspiring Leadership and Civic Participation", Mr. Amos Mulbah Lavalah, Jr. has launched his first initiative named and styled 'Girls' Mentorship Club' in partnership with the Youth Exploring Solutions, a passionate, non-for-profit and voluntary grassroots youth-led development organization.
The face of migration is changing dramatically as women and girls now represent about half of the over 214 million migrants worldwide.
Women in the Gambia are being continuously discriminated and subjected to horrific sexual violence including murder and rape, a report by the United States State Department said.
Source: Rwanda Focus
Infertility or the inability of a couple to become pregnant after 12 months of unprotected intercourse comes off as every woman's nightmare. The idea that one cannot bring forth an offspring to the world is shocking in as much as it is disheartening! As children, most girls dream of having a baby of their own something that is usually displayed in the way they play with dolls and not toy cars.
Source: Premium Times
The World Bank has said that Nigerian woman should be guaranteed improved access to finance, as they are often responsible for the bulk of the farming tasks in the country. The Bank, which noted that about 57 per cent of households in Nigeria are categorized as agriculture households, said that while women undertake the responsibility of processing, transportation and harvesting crops in the country, men are involved in the clearing and planting of the crops.
Source: The Herald
Women entrepreneurs showcasing their wares at this year's edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair put up impressive exhibitions of good quality products, the First Lady, Amai Grace Mugabe, said. Amai Mugabe was speaking soon after touring stands at the fair last week where she particularly commended the ZRP Kuyedza Women's Club and exhibitions by women from Malawi.
Source: FOROYAA Newspaper
Following series of consultations for the development and integration of Gender Based Violence and Human Rights issues into the police training curriculum, the Women's Bureau with support from UNFPA recruited a consultant to develop a gender training manual. The training manual has been developed and reviewed by stakeholders.
Source: IPP Media
Tanzania last week launched African Women's Entrepreneurship Programme ( (AWEP) Tanzania chapter in Dar Es Salaam geared at accelerating and beefing up business oriented investments between Tanzania investors and their partners world-wide. The launching event was attended by various invitees from within and outside the country was inaugurated by among other events speeches by the Tanzania Ministry for Industry and Trade.
More women are initiating divorces in Uganda, a conservative East African country where women are becoming empowered to leave a bad marriage in a way their mothers could not, rights activists and legal experts say.
In this essay, the historian and feminist Margot Badran outlines how the Muslim Brotherhood has called into question a UN document that seeks to end violence against women and with it the democratic achievements of the Egyptian revolution.
Each night Esnart Phiri, a widow with five children, sleeps outside the gates of the state-run maize trader or Admarc market, in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe, as she waits for days on end to buy maize.
Source: BD Live
THE Commission for Gender Equality has become the latest institution to receive a complaint over the use of women's underwear in a protest by the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) last week. During Sadtu's march to the Union Buildings last week, protesters displayed a pair of over-sized panties emblazoned with the name of Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga.
Source: The Citizen
The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights has pledged full support to organisations that are involved in women's rights. The court, which is based here, has begun organising seminars for women human rights NGOs as it seeks to extend its services across the continent. The court spokesperson, Mr Jean-Pierre Uwanone Ntawizeruwanone, said that the seminars, held in different parts of Africa, are aimed at enhancing human rights in Africa.
Source: New Era
In what is seen as a male dominated industry, women in the media industry are often subject to the whims of their male counterparts who relegate them to minor roles. Some of the many challenges female scribes often encounter include sexual harassment, discrimination, under representation in management, exclusion and female stereotyping in content.