News on Gender equality

17 August 2018
News
“My husband was very strict,” Gemila*, a 28-year-old Syrian refugee, told UNFPA. “He wanted to crush people.”
Violence in Syria casts long shadow on refugee women, girls
SANLIURFA, Turkey – “My husband was very strict,” Gemila*, a 28-year-old Syrian refugee, told UNFPA. “He wanted to crush people.” Gemila had been married off, despite her protests, at age 17. A few years into her... Read more
23 July 2018
News
“Condoms will just disappear from our homes and we will know they are being used,” said 'Maneo Ramabanta, in Lesotho, where HIV prevention efforts must reach vulnerable adolescents. © UNFPA Lesotho/Violet Maraisane
HIV prevention efforts must reach most vulnerable – adolescents, young women, LGBTI communities
Netherlands/Lesotho/Botswana – The number of AIDS-related deaths has fallen to its lowest point this century thanks to improved access to antiretroviral treatment, according to a newly released report. Yet prevention... Read more
25 June 2018
News
Najat suffered a traumatic birth injury, and nearly died, after her in-laws refused to take her to a hospital during labour. © National Midwives Association/UNFPA
Midwife escapes death after being denied maternal health care
SANA’A, Yemen – Najat, a trained midwife, was well aware of the dangers of pregnancy and childbirth. But when her own health needs and professional judgment clashed with her husband’s traditional ideas, she suffered in... Read more
7 June 2018
News
Menstrual health is a serious, but overlooked, issue among vulnerable women. Refugees in Louva, Angola, receive UNFPA-distributed dignity kits, which include sanitary napkins, soap, laundry detergent and other essential hygiene supplies. © UNFPA/Tiril Skarstein
Period shame, misinformation linked to serious human rights concerns
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Shame, stigma and misinformation surrounding menstruation are contributing to serious human rights concerns for women and girls, emphasizes a new report commissioned by UNFPA.  The report, a... Read more
30 May 2018
News
Faith Kiraison, an advocate for girls' rights and health, teaches her peers about menstrual health management. © UNFPA Kenya/Douglas Waudo
A turning point for girls' and women’s menstrual health in Africa
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa/NAROK, Kenya – “I felt embarrassed to be a girl and felt like it was a punishment,” recalled 13-year-old Faith, describing her first period.  She was living in a boarding school in Narok... Read more
15 May 2018
News
Men queue to register for the vasectomy event in Port-au-Prince. Enthusiasm far exceeded expectations. © Moïse Alex Docteur/UNV
Haiti vasectomy campaign draws over 300 per cent anticipated turnout
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – “At 55, I already have four children. I realized that I do not have enough resources to take care of more mouths in my family,” explained Lamour Denis, at a reproductive health clinic in Haiti’s... Read more
10 May 2018
News
Drawing on her own experience being married as a child – and then getting back to school – Jenipher Sanni has become a mentor for girls in her community. © UN Foundation/GirlUp
A young activist in Malawi campaigns to keep girls out of marriage and in school
MANGOCHI, Malawi – Jenipher Sanni dreams of making it big in life, and this year, she prepares to sit for four exams to attain the certificate she needs to move on to university. But getting to this point has not been a... Read more
25 April 2018
News
Rima*, a 22-year-old mother of two, escaped both violence in Syria and abuse in her home. Today, she works as a health mediator at a UNFPA-supported safe space in Turkey. © UNFPA Turkey
Former child brides find brighter future at Turkey’s safe spaces
ANKARA, Turkey – When Rima’s* father passed away, her happiness and independence died as well, she says. She was just 13 years old and living in Syria at the time. Her uncles took charge, imposing strict rules. They... Read more
16 April 2018
News
Young actors perform a scene from "Ruža," an interactive play about the harms of child marriage. Photo by Almir Panjeta for UNICEF/UNFPA BiH
Drama helps battle child marriage in Bosnia and Herzegovina
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina – On the surface, child marriage seems to affect few girls in Bosnia and Herzegovina. But dig a little deeper, and a pattern emerges among the most marginalized, impoverished girls. A... Read more
4 April 2018
News
MP Hadjira Oumouri attends the Comorian marathon on International Women’s Day. Her shirt says, "I am more than a mother. I am also a woman with ambition." © UNFPA Comoros/Nasser Youssouf
From midwife to MP - Advancing the rights of women in the Comoros
MORONI, Comoros – As a midwife, Hadjira Oumouri, 49, spent years advocating for the health and rights of women. Today, she is the second-ever woman Member of Parliament in the Comoros, and currently the only female MP.... Read more

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