Are there any health benefits associated with Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)? According to the WHO, FGM has no health benefits, only harm. FGM harms girls and women in many ways. It involves removing and damaging healthy and normal female genital tissue, and interferes with the natural functions of girls’ and women’s bodies. Generally speaking, risks...
Somalia’s parliament has sparked outrage by replacing long-awaited legislation to protect women and girls from violence with a new bill permitting child and forced marriage. The east African nation has high rates of child marriage and violence against women, including rape and female genital mutilation (FGM). The United Nations says 45% of women are married...
Girls worldwide believe gender-based violence is the biggest barrier that holds them back, according to our global survey. A total of 1147 girls were consulted by Plan International, and 350 of those, aged 14 to 19, from 12 countries, took part in qualitative interviews. These formed the basis of the Girls’ Platform for Action research...
2020 theme: COVID-19 and indigenous peoples’ resilience Date: Sunday, August 9, 2020 The global COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated longstanding structural inequalities for the most marginalized, with indigenous women and girls some of the most affected. On the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples we consider not only the enormous challenges faced by indigenous women,...
Wanting a different life for herself and other girls, Savadye started the Zimbabwean women’s movement Roots Africa seven years ago fighting for, among many things, legislation change to better protect women’s rights in her region. Under the lockdown, Savadye is one of a band of female activists in Africa pushing for stronger laws to protect...
About Female genital mutilation • Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia. • It is also injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. • The practice is mostly carried out by traditional circumcisers, who often play other central roles in communities, such...
Earlier this month, the Zambian government and the World Bank have signed a credit agreement for additional financing to support the Girls Education and Women’s Empowerment (GEWEL) Project. The additional financing, approved by the World Bank Board of Directors in March 2020, will support the government’s goal to increase access to livelihood support for women...
The Central Regional Office of the National Population Council (NPC) says women and girls are the hardest hit by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. “Apart from disrupting the livelihood of women, it has impacted negatively on the access to reproductive health services and led to an increase in sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against...
In the last few months, as the coronavirus has spread across the world, African countries have registered a surge in cases of domestic violence and sexual violence, which has provoked public outrage. In May, South Sudanese activists protested the gang rape of an eight-year-old girl by three men while holding her mother at gunpoint, in...
Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has reiterated the need to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and girls. She noted that responses of various governments to the pandemic had had unintended negative consequences on many people especially, women in developing countries and must be addressed....
