From Washington to Wall Street to Twitter, writers, academics, and business leaders are pointing to the empowerment of women as key to many of the world's greatest challenges. They're publicizing the research and amplifying hard facts, like the fact that when women have equal access to agricultural resources, 100 million to 150 million fewer people will go hungry.
This unflattering outlook is contained in the latest report by the 2012 SADC Gender Protocol Barometer, an annual tracking report of regional performance against the targets of the Southern African Development Community Protocol on Gender and Development set for 2015.
The testimonies from the five young women recently rescued from sex slavery in Iraq were so heartrending that many members of parliament in the committee room shed a tear.
The deputy speaker of the National Assembly has said that the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) member states are committed to improving women's status and ensuring their equal rights.
Source: IPS
In 1996, Maria Mamerita Mestanza Chavez, a 33-year-old Peruvian mother of seven, was threatened with imprisonment if she did not comply with the government policy of undergoing sterilisation. After suffering post-operative complications for which she was refused treatment, Chavez died nine days later.
Woe unto a mother who goes to deliver in Mulago hospital at night or early morning. Chances are she could die.
Leftist and liberal parties, groups voice 'deep concern' after draft constitution article promises gender equality 'without contradicting precepts of Islamic Law'
Nawal Al Saadawi has been at the lead of the fight for rights for women for decades, and like many here was exhilarated when women and men united in Tahrir Square to lead protests against dictator Hosni Mubarak.
The African Union (AU) has said special attention would be given to the issue of women and children in armed conflicts in Africa this year.
President Joyce Banda, on Friday, September 21, 2012 challenged women aspiring for leadership positions in Africa not give up, in spite of the challenges and obstacles that they may meet on a leadership journey, saying there will always be a way to surmount them.
The 67th regular session of the UN General Assembly, which began this week at the UN Headquarters, will feature several special events promoting the health and rights of women and young people. Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, will play a leading role in many of these events and meet with government, corporate and non-profit leaders to emphasize the critical need of investing in women and young people.
Source: IRIN
The practice of men marrying underage girls - which has been an accepted social norm for centuries but has been linked in recent years to the spread of HIV - was recently declared illegal in Swaziland.
Barrenness is a delicate subject in Uganda, where the stigma attached to women who cannot bear children is strong. These women are called “barren” or “infertile,” with some forced to leave their matrimonial homes or left by their husbands. Many turn to gynecologists, traditional healers and religious leaders for help. Medical experts say that there are 3.5 million cases of infertility in Uganda, making it a part of the “African Infertility Belt.”
Pressure group Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) has slammed what it calls a “disturbing trend” of police intimidation in Bulawayo, after the arrest of another member on Tuesday.
Report calls for more balanced approach to resolving conflict and says female view on freedom from violence is neededAround the world, women make peace in their homes and communities on a daily basis. But when it comes to negotiating and signing peace deals on a national or international level they are almost universally shut out, according to a report that calls for a more balanced approach to resolving conflict.
Source: Atlantablackstar
“Economists like to debate precisely why education makes a difference. But the real reason is simple enough, and it can be summarized in one word – and that word is ‘empowerment’.”
One of Uganda's longest serving members of parliament, Sam Kuteesa (Mawogola constituency), had been in active politics for 13 years by the time the country's youngest MP-elect Proscovia Alengot Oromait was born in 1993.
Source: United Nations Conference on Trade & Development (UNCTAD)
A national workshop in Cape Verde concluded that the impact of macro-economic policies is not "gender neutral," and that women in Cape Verde should be granted more opportunities to contribute to the development and economic growth of their country.
Forced contraceptive sterilization of women living with HIV which occurred recently in the country, according to reports, is an unacceptable infringement on the woman's rights which hurts the gains in the efforts to turn the tide against the epidemic, senior Kenyan faith leaders are warning.