For Maksad Nodirova, legal aid has meant more than a financial foothold in rural Tajikistan. It has helped her forge a path through trauma, disempowerment and loss – and emerge both a breadwinner and businesswoman. Like Maksad, Makhfirat Dadaboeva sought help from her local District Task Force to re-enlist in her University studies after three children. The 58-year old mother of five and wife of an ill husband, Maksad worked on cooperative farms for much of her life. She married and … [Read more...]
UNDP offers six-point plan to fast-track women in politics, Asia-Pacific
September 23, 2012 by
UNDP THAILAND/MARK S. COGAN | ABC JOURNALIST HELEN BROWN MODERATES A DISCUSSION OF PROMINENT POLITICAL ACTORS SHARING THEIR THOUGHTS ON WHY THE PUSH FOR POLITICAL EQUALITY IN ASIA LANGUISHES BEHIND OTHER REGIONS. BANGKOK — It will take 50 years for gender balance to be achieved in Asia-Pacific national legislatures if the increase in women’s participation in parliaments remains at the current pace, says a UN Development Programme (UNDP) study released this week. Economic progress will be … [Read more...]
Columbia, Bogota – Progress for Women and Young People
September 23, 2012 by
BOGOTA — UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin visited Colombia, for the first time, to review the country's progress in reducing maternal deaths and teen pregnancy, two of the indicators for the Millennium Development Goal on improving maternal health. Day One: Dr. Osotimehin began his visit touring two health centres in Bogota, where UNFPA has been supporting the work of the city's Health Secretariat. In Bosa, one of Bogota's most populous neighbourhoods— with one of the … [Read more...]
AFRICA: Kenya moves to increase women in its police force
September 22, 2012 by
Kenya moves to increase women in its police force, and improve their work environments ~ Celebrate! To boost and empower women in the security and legal system, Kenya is setting up an association of women police officers to promote their role in law enforcement and security reform. The National Women’s Police Association will be a platform where policewomen can develop leadership skills, support one another and advance gender sensitive policies and practices throughout the force. An … [Read more...]
Jarkyn, a Role Model for Many Rural Women
September 21, 2012 by
Jarkyn, a Role Model for Many Rural Women When you see energetic and self-confident Jarkyn Smanalieva rushing from one house to the other calling women for a community meeting in the small mountainous village of Madaniyat east of Bishkek, you would never guess that only three years ago she was an exhausted mother of four. When you see energetic and self-confident Jarkyn Smanalieva rushing from one house to the other calling women for a community meeting in the small mountainous … [Read more...]
BAHRAIN Taking Action, compensates families improving human rights
September 21, 2012 by
The Kingdom of Bahrain is to compensate families of protesters killed during last years anti government protests. That's what the Foreign Minister of Bahrain Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa told the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday. The minister said 17 of the victims have already received compensations totalling 2.6 million dollars. He added that legal reforms are already under way in the justice system to ensure fairness, prevent torture, and protect the … [Read more...]
V-DAY, Dr. Mukwege, Godfather of V-Men, Puts Out a Call to Men
September 20, 2012 by
Dr. Mukwege, Godfather of the V-Men Movement, Calls on Men Throughout Africa & the World End Violence Against Women & Cherish Women's Vaginas - OCTOBER 4, 2012 August 27 - 29, V-Day, with support from the Skoll Foundation and the Wallace Global Fund, convened 48 activists and social entrepreneurs from 17 countries in Africa for the first ever V-Africa Summit, held in Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Denis Mukwege, Founder of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu. DRC and the … [Read more...]
World Pulse, Ending Violence Against Women Campaign Update
September 20, 2012 by
The Power of Your Stories "While there is breath in this body I will speak the truth." Aoife | Ireland It has been two weeks since we announced our Ending Violence Against Women Digital Action Campaign, and we have already received over 240 community submissions from all over the world. From a witness to the horrors of acid violence in Bangladesh, to a South African man determined to redefine masculinity and address the root causes of violence, to a journalist grappling … [Read more...]
Violence against Indigenous Women and Girls must be punished
September 19, 2012 by
September 2012 – Violence against women and girls and the indiscriminate extraction of natural resources are among the most pressing issues that indigenous peoples face today, a United Nations human rights expert said today. “A recurring issue that has come to my attention in various contexts is that of violence against indigenous women and girls,” said the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya, in his statement to the UN Human Rights Council in … [Read more...]
BOLIVIA, enacts the first law with Equal Status for Mother Earth
September 18, 2012 by
Bolivia enshrines natural world's rights, with equal status for Mother Earth Law of Mother Earth expected to prompt radical new conservation and social measures in South American nation Bolivia is set to pass the world's first laws granting all nature equal rights to humans. The Law of Mother Earth, now agreed by politicians and grassroots social groups, redefines the country's rich mineral deposits as "blessings" and is expected to lead to radical new … [Read more...]
ZA’ATARI REFUGEE CAMP, Mafraq, Jordan – Clinic with female gynecologist
September 18, 2012 by
ZA'ATARI REFUGEE CAMP, Mafraq, Jordan — As a way to address both health needs and cultural sensitivities, UNFPA is supporting a reproductive health clinic with a female gynecologist in the Za'atari camp for Syrian refugees who have fled to Jordan. Some 27,000 Syrian refugees are now living in the camp. Many are women who feel more at ease in seeing a female doctor, especially when dealing with reproductive health issues. Buthaina, for instance, was in her ninth month of pregnancy when … [Read more...]
