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...
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....
The World Bank has given Zambia 142 million U.S. dollars which will go towards livelihood support for women and boost access to secondary education for disadvantaged adolescent girls in extremely poor households, the bank said on Wednesday. In a release, the bank said the funds are for additional support to the Girls Education and Women’s...
As of early July, South Sudan confirmed more than 2,000 coronavirus cases. The implementation of social distancing rules, curfews and the closure of non-essential business has had a drastic impact on small businesses, especially in the informal sector where women constitute the majority of the work force. Now that businesses have been allowed to re-open...
Cecilia Mwende Maundu is a broadcast journalist based in Kenya and a specialist in gender digital safety. She is also the current Secretary General of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television, Kenyan chapter. During COVID-19, women and girls are using the internet more than ever to stay connected with the world, but they...
The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to roll back gains in women’s economic opportunities, widening gender gaps that persist despite 30 years of progress. Well-designed policies to foster recovery can mitigate the negative effects of the crisis on women and prevent further setbacks for gender equality. What is good for women is ultimately good for addressing income...
The ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) says Covid-19 has reversed the limited progress women have made in the fight for gender equality and women’s rights. The league was honouring South Africa’s founding president, Nelson Mandela, and those who died of Covid-19 with a virtual prayer service on Sunday – just a day after the world marked Mandela...
