Source: RNW
In Batula, a rural community in western Kenya, a local NGO deals with 12 child marriage cases a week. Some of these cases involve young girls who are inherited and forced to marry by a tribal practice called siebo.
Source: IPS
At Gakoromone Market in Meru, in Kenya's Eastern Province, Ruth Muriuki arrives in a pickup full of tomatoes and cabbages despite the scarcity of rainfall in the area, thanks to the greenhouse technology she uses on her farm - and microcredit.
The United Nations agency mandated to promote gender equality today announced it will give out $10.5 million in grants to organizations working to advance economic and political empowerment of women in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe and Central Asia.
Source: Tunisia Live
On February 29, the Tunisian National Office of Family and Population (ONFP), in cooperation with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), held a conference in Tunis, where it present the results of a national survey conducted on violence against women.
Source: Mail & Guardian
It's as if they speak with one voice, the young Maasai women who have escaped being sold into marriage -- at least for now -- to pursue an education.
Source: Anglop
The general secretary of Trade Unions in Luanda, Filomena António Soares, said Thursday that the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon's appreciation that Angola is among the countries with high number of women in the decision-making posts, demonstrates the recognition of women's efforts to dignify the country.
Daily Trust
Last week I listened to BBC Hausa news, where it said that the Rivers state house of assembly wants to make a law to allow women inherit their fathers' properties. The reporter asked the opinions of some residents in Port Harcourt who were mostly against the intention of the state assembly. They argued that it was their tradition for women not to inherit their parents, as a woman is not meant to stay in her parents' house, that she would marry and go to her husband's house.
Source: IPS Gender Wire For a long time, Zambian women's participation in politics has ended at voting. Credit:Richard Mulonga/IPS |
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 1, 2012 (IPS) - The right of women to participate in political life is guaranteed by several international conventions, but transforming an abstract right into a reality requires hard work on the ground, says a new study released here.
Source: IFAD
Strong rural organizations like producer groups and cooperatives are crucial to hunger and poverty reduction. They allow small producers to play a greater role in meeting growing food demand on local, national and international markets, while improving their own economic, social and political opportunities.
Source: New Vision
The Parliament's committee on national economy has rejected a proposal to borrow $30.28m (sh75.7b) for financing the construction of a specialized women hospital for maternal and neonatal health care at Mulago hospital.
Source: OpenDemocracy
For the past twenty years Moroccan women, from the liberal camp to the Islamist, have campaigned for equal rights for women. Their struggle has borne many triumphs and is gradually beginning to change the lives of women throughout the country. But how will they face the new challenges presented by Morocco's first Islamist-majority government?
Source: PlusNews
The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised women on injectable hormonal birth control to use condoms to prevent HIV infection in light of possible HIV risks associated with "the shot", but HIV organizations and activists say this has not been effectively communicated to women.
Source: Vanguard
THE Nigerian government has been called upon to tackle issues of gender inequality in the country with a view to giving a greater voice to women and enhance their contribution to good governance.
Source: Leadership
A senior United Nations official and the renowned singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo has urged Nigeria, UN Member States and communities to outlaw Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and raise awareness about its harmful effects, especially in African countries where the practice is most prevalent.
Source: IPS
The United Nations' 56th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) opened Monday in New York, with the empowerment of rural women high on a list of priorities for this year. According to a press release issued last week by UN Women, "Rural women constitute one-fourth of the world's population. (They) account for a great proportion of the agricultural labour force, produce the majority of food grown, especially in subsistence farming, and perform most of the unpaid care work in rural areas."
Source: UN.org
Commission on the Status of Women
Fifty-sixth Session
6th & 7th Meetings (AM & PM)
The Commission on the Status of Women continued its sixty-fifth session this morning, returning to its general discussion on the priority theme — the empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, sustainable development and current challenges. For more information, see Press Release WOM/1889 of 24 February.
Source: UN Women
Remarks of Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director UN Women Joint IPU/UN Women meeting,29 February 2012 New York.
Source: UN News Centre
A top United Nations official expressed support today for an initiative that would allow female soccer players to wear a headscarf, also known as a hijab, while on the field, stressing that every person should have the right to enjoy the world's most popular sport regardless of their gender, race or religious beliefs.
Source: The Swazi Observer
TWO local women took part in the New York Marathon which was held last year in support of breast cancer.
For Anne Borrell and Tracey Stewart, running has become more than just a way to keep fit and healthy. It aided in Anne's recovery from Breast Cancer, strengthened a long-standing friendship and allowed them to travel to New York last year for its world famous marathon in support of the Swaziland Breast Cancer Network (SBCN).
Source: PlusNews
Condoms are widely promoted as one of the most effective ways of preventing the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, but a recent study has found that incorrect use of condoms is common and affects their effectiveness.