Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) Key facts • More than 1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are acquired every day worldwide • Each year, there are an estimated 376 million new infections with 1 of 4 STIs: chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and trichomoniasis. • More than 500 million people are estimated to have genital infection with herpes...

Legal amendment comes as school closures due to COVID-19 raise fears of a rise in sexual abuse and unwanted pregnancies. Zimbabwe has made it illegal for schools to expel pupils who get pregnant, a measure women’s rights campaigners said would help tackle gender inequality in the classroom and stop many girls from dropping out of...

The Ministry of Communications, in partnership with its agencies, is conducting training for about 570 schoolgirls in the Oti Region. As part of the annual National Girls in Information & Communications Technology (ICT) celebrations, these girls and young women will be encouraged and empowered to enter into ICT related studies and careers. It is also...

Nelly is a South Sudanese refugee leader in the Bidibidi settlement in Uganda. In this story, adapted from the Who Holds the Microphone Series, she discusses her engagement with the humanitarian community and emphasizes the need for resources, income-generating activities and spaces dedicated to women, where they can freely discuss their experiences and challenges. “This...

Only 29% of women in Kenya between the ages of 15 and 49 are empowered, according to the new Kenya women’s empowerment index. The study, developed by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics in partnership with the State Department for Gender, UN Women, and UNICEF, is “the first comprehensive and systematic measure” for women’s and girls’ empowerment in Kenya,...

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM): Who is at risk?  FGM is mostly carried out on young girls sometime between infancy and adolescence, and occasionally on adult women.  More than 3 million girls are estimated to be at risk for FGM annually.  More than 200 million girls and women alive today have been subjected...

Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2020   On 19 August, the world celebrates World Humanitarian Day to commemorate the humanitarian workers serving in crisis contexts around the globe. As we remember the humanitarians who were killed and injured in the course of their work, this year we also honour all aid and health workers who continue to...

Representatives of humanitarian organisations have called for improved welfare for internally displaced women and girls in Nigeria. The stakeholders from within and outside Nigeria emphasised the need to protect and empower internally displaced women and girls to enable them take on the challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. They made the call during a virtual...

A virtual ministerial roundtable meeting organized by UN Women on 5 August 2020 brought to the forefront the need to safeguard women’s rights and put in place deliberate measures to advance gender equality, as part of COVID-19 response and recovery interventions. The event, titled Ensuring Progress Towards SDG 5 Amid the COVID-19 pandemic – from Response...

Egypt has approved a new law to protect the identity of women who come forward to report sexual harassment or assault in a move that aimed to encourage women and girls to report cases of sexual violence. The law, which will give victims the automatic right to anonymity comes as hundreds of women have started...