Source: African Arguments
Today is International Women's Day and the beginning of a month-long emphasis on the lives of women and the challenges and opportunities they face in the 21st century. At the RAS, we began the month with an event held at Parliament discussing women's political participation and leadership in Africa.
Source: AlJazeera
On this International Women's Day let women embrace themselves in multiple identities and complexities. Each of us embodies many realities all at the same time. The same woman who may be raped is also a mother, a professional worker, a migrant labourer, or.... None of our issues should be singularised although there are times they need priority.
Source: Egypt Independent
International Women's Day, celebrated on 8 March each year, is a day to honor women and the struggle for women's rights. Egypt Independent profiles three women leading very different lives, to explore some of the issues facing women in contemporary Egypt.
Source: Amnesty International
It is estimated at least half a million people are killed with guns every year and on average a further 200,000 men, women and children die as an indirect result of armed conflicts and violence that are frequently fuelled by the uncontrolled flow of small arms.
Source: Women Watch
History of International Women's Day
Introduction
International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.
Source: Congress of South African Trade Unions
The Congress of South African Trade Unions salutes all working class women on this, their important day, International Women's Day. This day emerged out of the struggles of working class women in the United States, who organized themselves to strike for better working conditions, better pay, voting rights and against women's oppression and inequality, signaling that the struggle for economic rights and for political rights is inseparable.
Source: UN News Service
Ahead of International Women’s Day, a team of United Nations agency representatives arrived in Sierra Leone today to support gender equality and to gain international attention for a new national policy meant to recognize the critical role of women in achieving broad-based economic growth and consolidating peace efforts.
Source: New Vision
Having travelled 45km from Kampala to Kammengo in Mpigi district, following directions to the letter, looking for Trust Development Initiative (TRUDI) SACCO bank there was no way I was going to miss the modest signpost reading 'TRUDI BANK' outside one of the majestic buildings in the town of Kammengo (a small trading centre on the highway).
Source: NZ News
The 57th annual meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women opened on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York with its focus set on eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls.
Source: Washington Post
South Africa’s parliament issued a reprimand to police Monday after media outlets reported that police stations across the country were running out of rape kits — a disturbing problem in a country once called “the world’s rape capital.”
Source: The Guardian
The head of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, has indicated she would be prepared to compromise on the language used in the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) outcome document, as long as the words used "reflected the spirit" of the key issues and did not undermine past agreements.
Source: SciDev.Net
A large-scale trial to compare the effectiveness of oral tablets and vaginal gels for HIV prevention among young, unmarried African women has yielded disappointing results, a study reports.
Source: The Chronicle
Statistics from the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and other international organisations indicate that somewhere in Ghana, almost 60 women die each week from causes related to pregnancy and birth, while 2,700 women die each year from pregnancy or childbirth.
Source: Inkatha Freedom Party (Durban)
The South African HIV Clinicians Society reports that the current shortage of ARVs is forcing our doctors to share antiretroviral drugs among patients and sometimes prioritize patients who are at advanced stages of the disease over those who are stable. This puts those who are stable at greater risk of the virus advancing as they are not receiving regular medication.
Source: Leadership (Abuja)
Barely few months after a middle-aged woman delivered a baby with three legs in Katsina State, residents of Malumfashi local government area of the state were stunned yesterday as a 19-year-old housewife, Zainab Dahiru, was delivered a baby with two heads.
Source: The News
As part of efforts aimed at empowering women through small and medium skills enterprises, the Liberia Coca-Cola Bottling Company (LCCBC) has identified with more than 35 young women by providing assistance to them for the establishment of their own businesses.
Source: ThisDay
Governments across Africa and other stakeholders have been urged to allow women participate more in their economies. The call was made by Regus Vice-President Africa & Middle East, Mrs. Joanne Bushell, in a statement issued ahead of the International Women's Day 2013, which is on 8 March. The theme of the Day is 'The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum'.
Source: FIDH
On the eve of International Women's Day, FIDH joins human rights and women's rights organisations in Mali and the Coalition of the Campaign "Africa for Women's Rights: Ratify and respect !" to call for the full participation of women and the protection of their rights to be at the centre of the process towards peace and democracy in Mali.
Source: Tunisia Live
In what advocates say is an increasingly hostile social environment for women following the 2011 revolution, the Tunisian government signed on this week to a United Nations (UN) initiative that counters violence against women.
Source: Think Africa Press
Let’s start with some of the things you may take for granted. Freedom to walk on the streets, freedom to marry who you want to, protect your body and be safe. How would you feel if you were chatting away to your female friend on the bus and a group of men started attacking her? How would you feel if you were married and your husband didn’t allow you to choose when to have sex or become pregnant? We would be united in our condemnation or say that these scenarios are ridiculous.