THE issue of maternal health is a thorny one that easily pricks the emotional nerves of many women and men in Zimbabwe. Many times stories of how women have been ill treated in public hospitals have been told. Some women have had to endure the agony of being detained for failure to pay maternity fees. This has been done to force their husbands to pay at least half the money required by hospitals. For others, the solution is sneaking out, an experience that is stressful and difficult to forget.
Source: AhramOnline
Egyptian women’s lives are enriched by the social and economic pressures they have to face on a daily basis; the intimate details of their personal struggles have been beautifully portrayed by the young filmmaker Hanan Abdallah in her first documentary In the Shadow of Man.
Lilongwe — In an interview with an Aljazeera news anchor, the newly sworn-in Republic of Malawi President, Joyce Banda said "my election (in 2009) as the vice president and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (Liberian president) shows that Africans have grown in democracy [and] they have confidence in both women and men in leading them. Africans have decided that the time is now that women can also participate in leadership."
Source: IRIN News
DADAAB, 11 April 2012 (IRIN) - A mix of cultural practices, such as early and forced marriage, as well as child labour, are depriving girls of education in the Dadaab refugee complex in eastern Kenya.
Source: TheWashingtonPost
Source: Daily Trust
Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina has decried the alarming rate of rape cases across the country.
Source: The Sowetan
THE ascendency of Joyce Banda to power in Malawi is an achievement, but it may not necessarily mean much for the women of that country beyond the symbolism.
Source: Women's E-News
After years of repression, Aicha Dhaouadi is serving parliament for the Islamist party. "Try to know us more," she says to those who suspect a veneer of moderation. Last of three profiles of women playing active roles in post-revolutionary Tunisia.
Source: Africa Review
In 100 years or so, we shall look back in shame at how we treated womenfolk. People will wonder how generations like ours could be so blind to the obvious; so slow in setting right what is blindingly wrong. And I am indicting all of today's generation, be it Ugandan, European, American, or otherwise.
Source: Ghana Web
Peoples' Dialogue on Human Settlement, a non-governmental organisation, on Tuesday called on journalists to promote the rights of women to acquire and own property to make them less vulnerable to homelessness.
Source: VOA
Malawi's new president originally rose to prominence as a women's rights advocate. But Shereen Essof, a regional coordinator for feminist group Just Associates in Southern Africa, says President Joyce Banda may not be able to continue the battle for gender equality in the same way as president.
Source: Radio Dahanga
An armed group loyal to the government raped two displaced women from camp Bear Dagig of Sirba locality in West Darfur on Monday.
Source: Vanguard
Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Maina, has expressed concern over the prevalence rate of sexual violence against women, noting that such violation was the second most prevalent violations against women in Nigeria.
Source: Vanguard
No fewer than 10,000 less privileged women are to benefit from a free cervical cancer screening being organised by the wife of the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, TREM, Dr. Peace Okonkwo.
Source: New Era
A 27-year-old pregnant woman sustained serious burns to her body after her boyfriend allegedly doused her with paraffin, before setting her alight in the Havana informal settlement in Windhoek.
Source: the Star
In books, magazines and even on the Internet, there are countless photos of red-faced, weather-beaten mountain climbers often pictured straddling the summit of some mountain while grinning, almost maniacally, from ear to ear.
Source: Africa Review
Mauritius is set to launch a National Women's Council Bill to boost their empowerment and fair representation in high offices, official said.
Source: ANGOP
The Angolan Minister of Family and Women Promotion, Genoveva Lino, said on Sunday that the women meeting happening in Brasilia will empower them to improve some challenges that they face in their countries.
Source: ANGOP
The 15th congress of the International Democratic Federation of Women (IDFW), gathering over 100 women from various parts of the world, started last Sunday, in Brazil, ANGOP has learnt.
Source:Committee to Protect Journalists
Liberian journalist Mae Azango's courageous reporting on female genital mutilation, which made her the target of threats and ignited international controversy, has forced her government to finally take a public position on the dangerous ritual. For the first time, Liberian officials have declared they want to stop female genital mutilation, a traditional practice passed down for generations.