A decline in democracy and harmful content spread on social media platforms are helping to drive a backlash against feminism, and the growth of misogynistic and retrograde ideas about the roles of men and women and society. The pushback against gender equality is one of the findings in a major report from UN Women, the […]
As conflict rages across Sudan, armed men are raping and sexually assaulting children, including some infants as young as one, according to the UN children’s agency (UNICEF). Data from gender-based violence service providers in Sudan reveals the scale of the horror: more than 220 reported cases of child rape since the start of 2024. “Children […]
Gender inequality is the greatest challenge of our times. Gender equality is the greatest opportunity. The 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action is an unmissable chance to remind global leaders and activists that our shared future depends on gender equality and empowering all women and girls. Everyone has a role to play in […]
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday, february 13th, 2025 issued a stark warning over escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where hundreds of civilians have been killed and tens of thousands displaced as M23 rebels continue to attack and seize control of towns and villages. Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, […]
“Despite the progress, women still make up only one-third of the global scientific community and face significant barriers in funding, publishing and leadership roles in STEM,” said Secretary-General António Guterres in his message for the day. As the world marks the 10th anniversary of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February, […]
Sakina Sani was married off when she was 12 years old amid conflict and food shortages in northern Nigeria. She became pregnant at 15 but miscarried and then had two children in rapid succession. “I will never allow my daughter to go through what happened to me,” she told UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health […]
Some 230 million girls in more than 90 countries – predominantly in Africa and Asia – have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) and can suffer lifelong physical, emotional and psychological scars, an issue that the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency has been tackling with the support of the international community including the United States. […]
As the world marks the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation on Thursday February 6th, 2025, the United Nations is warning that without urgent action, a staggering 27 million more girls could undergo the procedure by 2030. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) refers to all procedures involving the partial or total removal of female […]
“I still see the knife, and the lady who held me down,” said Hawa’a Mohamed Kamil, a peer educator in Djibouti, who was subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) at just six years old, an experience that left both physical and psychological scars. “I’m afraid of men, of everyone, of everything,” she told the United […]
Women are still routinely being cut out of their parents’ inheritance in parts of south-eastern Nigeria, despite a Supreme Court ruling that it is discriminatory. After Onyinye Igwe lost her father two years ago, life became financially difficult for her even though he was a relatively wealthy man, leaving behind houses, land and money in […]
