Source: allAfrica
THE ARRIVAL IN Liberia of a team of illustrious women rights campaigners, including Nobel women laureates, not only defines Liberia's place in women empowerment but also refocuses the nation to the last vestiges of discrimination and abuse still lingering in the social space.
Source: allAfrica
National and traditional leaders, as well as many other stakeholders in the Kavango Region yesterday began a specially convened two-day conference at Kamutjonga, 25km from Divundu, to deliberate on burning issues such as teenage pregnancies and malnutrition in the region.
Led by the Deputy Prime Minister Marco Hausiku the conference is taking place at the Kamutjonga Inland Fisheries Institute.
Source: UN Dispatch
This post was co-written with Carol by Jason Warner, a PhD student in African Studies and Government at Harvard University.
You may have missed it, but 2012 was a very a big year for African women.
Source: UNFPA
Africa has many accomplishments in which to take pride and confidence. Progress on many fronts is dramatic with a new sense of optimism right across the continent. Economic growth is strong, feeding through into increased incomes and better living standards.
Will the increasingly vocal support for education, economic empowerment and a change of attitudes help in the struggle for gender equality?
Source: UN Women
“We need millions of men as agents of change and we have many rivers and oceans to cross before we get there,” says Antonie de Jong, Director of Resource Mobilisation at UN Women and one of the 15 men who rode as part of a motorcycle caravan across nine countries in southern Africa.
Source: East Africa Business Week
Winifred (winnie) Byanyima, a Grassroots activist, human rights advocate, senior international public servant, and world recognized expert on women's rights, has been appointed Executive Director of Oxfam International - a role that provides strategic direction and coordination for the worldwide confederation of Oxfam affiliates.
Source: Radio Dabanga
Armed herders killed two women and raped another two in separate events that took place in West Darfur, a number of sources told Radio Dabanga.
Source: The Star
A tough battle is looming for the race Narok women's representative seat after the daughters of the former MPs get the tickets for March 4, general elections.
Source: Swazi Media Commentary
A women who is seven months pregnant was jailed in Swaziland, even though there were no allegations of wrongdoing or pending convictions against her, after her mother told a magistrate her daughter needed correcting.
Source: BBC News
Women and girls were hit the hardest by the global recession, according to child rights and development organisations.
"The world is failing girls and women," a report by Plan International and the Overseas Development Institute said.
A shrinking economy sent girls' infant mortality soaring, and more females were abused or starved, they said.
This could erode gains made in recent years towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals, they added.
Source: Egypt Independet
The National Council for Women said during a meeting Monday that calls for Egyptian men to marry Syrian refugee women were "a crime committed in the name of religion."
Source: opendemocracy.net
The social movements of the 60s gave American women the skills to name and address the injuries they faced in their own lives, and led to a global women’s movement that is now facing a violent backlash. We need to know this history in order to fight for women’s rights today
Soure: The Herald
OPINION
In the last decade, Africa is the second-fastest growing region in the world. There is great reason to be excited about Africa's economic future. Strong economies rely on stable, well-paying jobs and rising living standards that make recovery fuller and faster.
As Africa emerges from the global financial crisis, it faces a new challenge for the years ahead: how do we make growth more inclusive to benefit all members of society?
Sustainable growth, more jobs, higher wages, and better futures are all possible for more Africans.
But it is only possible with the full and equal participation of Africa's men and women.
The new African labour force is young and growing.
In the next 10 years, Africa's labour force is expected to expand by 122 million.
If in that 122 million, both men and women can participate as equals in the economy, Africa will enjoy more talent, creativity and growth than ever before.
By unleashing the full economic potential of women, Africa can boost productivity and growth, create more jobs and opportunities and improve the lives of all Africans.
The goal of reaching the world's top 20 economies by 2020 is achievable if Africa takes advantage of both halves of society.
We are all aware of the role that women play as innovators and entrepreneurs in Africa, especially as heads of small and medium-sized businesses.
We know that women own one quarter of such businesses in sub-Saharan Africa.
We know that women shoulder the burden of caring for children and running the household.
We know that more women than men are working in jobs that pay little and offer no security.
And we know that women form the majority of people living in poverty.
Overall, women face barriers to participating fully in the economy: many women lack the right to own or inherit land, their access to bank loans is limited, and discrimination prevents women from gaining equal footing with men in the workforce.
This isn't just holding back women. It is holding back their families, their communities, and their countries.
Studies show that closing the gap between male and female employment rates can boost GDP.
And not surprisingly, countries--and companies -- with greater gender equality register the highest performance and growth.
Women reinvest up to 90 percent of their income into their children and families. This multiplier effect results in better health, better education, and improved well-being for families and future generations.
Leaders in the private sector can make a real difference. You can help to remove the barriers to women's participation.
You can lead by example and promote women based on merit to management positions.
You can ensure equal pay and benefits to all women and men employees, including more flexible work options.
You can invest in training and capacity-building for women employees to advance within the company. And you can create a safe environment and a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of violence in the workplace.
These are the some of the key goals of the Women's Empowerment Principles, practical steps based on input from businesses around the world and spearheaded by UN Women the UN Global Compact. So far some companies in Africa have signed on.
Women leaders such as Ms. Oputu, as the first woman Managing Director of the Bank of Industry, set the example, and are role models for young women in Africa to aim high for their futures.
The voices of women leaders carry influence to call for industry-wide standards for gender equality.
UN Women believes strongly in a comprehensive approach to women's economic empowerment that engages many sectors.
We can make a far greater impact when we work together for a common cause.
There is a new image of the young woman in the 21st century: She is well-educated, prepared to take on a steady job with fair pay.
She is free to make important decisions, like when and whom she marries, and when and how many children she has. And she's active in her community and in public life.
This is the image of half the young labour force to promote in Africa, and in all of Africa: women and girls who are counting on a future of economic opportunity, ready to keep Africa growing and moving forward.
We look forward to a future in Africa with strong, stable and inclusive economic growth to lift up all its people and rise to the top of the world's economies. The top 20 by 2020 is within reach: with 50:50 rights, opportunities, and participation for men and women in Africa.
The Writer is First Executive Director at the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
Source: allAfrica.com
The 21st Session of the GIMAC - Gender is my Agenda Campaign - will be held in Addis Ababa on 22 and 23 January 2013 starting at 09h30 at the United Nations Conference Center (UNCC) in Conference Room 2.
Source: IPS
A 25-year-old mother of five hailing from Senegal's eastern Tambacounda province believes that contraceptives damage the womb and cause health problems in the long term, such as a rise in blood pressure and chronic headaches.