At a high level event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, UN Women, the UN Development Programme, UNHCR, and the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights called for reform of nationality laws that discriminate on the basis of gender. Twenty-five countries retain nationality laws that deny women the right to confer citizenship on...
Cultural and social factors for performing female genital mutilation (FGM) The reasons why female genital mutilations are performed vary from one region to another and include a mix of sociocultural factors within families and communities. The most commonly cited reasons are: • Where FGM is a social convention (social norm), the social pressure to conform...
The U.S. Agency for International Development has a long and honored record on advancing women’s empowerment and gender equality, supported by leaders in both parties in various administrations and Congress. While priorities shift, USAID’s policies and programs have increasingly recognized both the right to gender equality, as well as the importance of gender equality to...
Women’s peace power is vital for our world’s security Date: Monday, September 21, 2020 Peace is a prerequisite for health, equality and human security. Our ability to live dignified, fulfilling lives depends on acting without fear, in mutual respect and co-existence. Today, as we mark International Day of Peace, some 2 billion people are living in areas...
Four men were arrested by police in Somalia after a teenage girl was raped and murdered. According to the police, the teenage girl was sexually abused by a gang on Friday and then thrown from a six-storey building in the capital, Mogadishu. The incident sparked outrage with hundreds of women taking to the streets of...
For the better part of 2020, East African countries have been battling to contain the spread of Covid-19 with over 46,633 cases reported across Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda as of September 6. Among them, Kenya and Rwanda account for the larger chunk with 35,103 and 4,349 cases reported in the respective...
Women and girls have been disproportionately hit by COVID-19 as the pandemic worsens existing gender inequality. Humanitarian crises can affect the lives of men and women differently – and the coronavirus pandemic is no exception. Women have shown better COVID-19 outcomes than men – in part thanks to an additional X chromosome and sex hormones like oestrogen, which...
UN Women at the UN General Assembly 2020 For immediate release Date: Thursday, September 10, 2020 Media contact: media.team@unwomen.org As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hold the world hostage, global leaders will gather at the largest annual intergovernmental meeting for the first time ever in a virtual session. The 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 75) will...
How sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are spread STIs are spread predominantly by sexual contact, including vaginal, anal and oral sex Some STIs can also be spread through non-sexual means such as via blood or blood products Many STIs including syphilis, hepatitis B, HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, herpes, and HPV can also be transmitted from mother to...
The Commonwealth and ‘NO MORE Foundation’, on Wednesday, launched a first-of-its-kind digital portal designed to help tackle increased domestic and sexual violence due to the impacts of COVID-19, The portal aims to assist governments, organisations and individuals to confront the issue by assisting the development of long-term prevention strategies and provide other modes of support....
