The number of cases of sexualized violence and femicide in Africa has risen during the Covid-19 pandemic. Will those in power finally grow aware of the extent of the problem? I slept with a small knife, because I was afraid. I didn’t even think about defending myself, because he was three times as strong as I...
With alarming rise of domestic violence reports during the pandemic lockdowns from millions of women worldwide, UN Women convened today a high-level meeting with the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Member States, UN agencies, activists, the private sector and philanthropies. The spotlight was on the urgent need for targeted investments, commitments and innovative new ways of...
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...
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....
Patience Mkandawire, 27, grew up in Zimbabwe’s rural Nkayi District and has gone on to study IT and software engineering– now she is helping girls from Nkayi do the same and to get the education resources they need during Zimbabwe’s pandemic-induced school closures. Mkandawire says the Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare the vast digital gap...
All crises have gendered impacts – simply put, they affect women and men, girls and boys in different ways. COVID-19 is no different. Six months into the pandemic, what have we learned? What do policymakers and activists need to do to ensure that decades of progress on gender equality is not rolled back and efforts...
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,...
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...
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...
