News on Gender-based violence

26 February 2018
News
UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador visits Rohingya refugee women at a women-friendly space in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Six months ago, a massive influx of refugees began to pour into Bangladesh, fleeing the violence in Myanmar. © UNFPA/Lauren Anders Brown
Dispatches from the road: UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador Ashley Judd on the horrors facing Rohingya refugees
In mid-February, humanitarian advocate, writer and actor Ashley Judd travelled to Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh to meet Rohingya refugees who have escaped violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. There, she visited UNFPA-... Read more
14 February 2018
News
Girls in the Raparinga Biz meet in a safe space, where they can freely discuss issues including gender equality, violence and their own struggles. © UNFPA Mozambique
Mozambique programme empowers girls to fight gender inequality, child marriage
MAPUTO, Mozambique – “We are equal to boys and can also contribute to society,” said 17-year-old Lidia Suale Saide. Lidia knows what it means to stand up for these beliefs. One year ago, she refused her mother’s attempt... Read more
15 January 2018
News
Kiena Odette,Musito and other girls take part in educational and recreational activities at the UNFPA-supported women-friendly space. © UNFPA/Tiril Skarstein
Women-friendly spaces offer safe haven for Congolese refugees in Angola
LOVUA, Angola – In a simple white tent in the Lóvua refugee settlement in Angola, women and girls who fled the brutal conflict in Kasai, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, can find safe haven and support. The tent... Read more
11 January 2018
News
UNFPA works with survivors of violence and with law enforcement. But with studies showing that young herders are frequently among the perpetrators of violence, it became clear that efforts must be directed towards them, as well. © UNFPA Lesotho
To tackle sexual violence in Lesotho, programme targets men and boys
HABA TSEKA, Lesotho – “Before, I never used a condom, and I would force myself violently onto girls and young women,” said Kabelo*, 22, in rural Lesotho. A herder in Haba Tseka, he grew up in an area where violence is... Read more
9 January 2018
News
UNFPA and partners are working to protect vulnerable populations from sexual exploitation and abuse. © UNFPA Iraq
Preventing sexual abuse and exploitation in Iraq
ERBIL, Iraq – “As humanitarians, we have a collective responsibility to prevent and safely respond to sexual abuse and exploitation in Iraq,” said Jennifer Emond, a UNFPA specialist on the subject, during a training... Read more
4 January 2018
News
Lily emerged as a leader after floods displaced thousands in and around Íllimo. © UNFPA Peru/Angela Valverde
After Peru floods, women emerge as leaders, advocates
LAMBAYEQUE, Peru – “When the disaster struck, I was in an advanced stage of pregnancy, and all I did was try to protect my life and my children’s lives,” said Lily, 40, describing how her family fled flooding in the... Read more
22 December 2017
News
M4RH provides accurate information on sexual and reproductive health topics in a private, nonjudgmental way. © Ministry of Health
SMS tool brings sexual, reproductive health information to Rwanda’s youth
KIGALI, Rwanda – Rwanda’s health system has seen great improvements in recent years, yet one area of health care remains underserved, particularly for young people: sexual and reproductive health. Stigma and... Read more
17 January 2018
News
Syrian refugee Tayma Abzali gave birth to her daughter, Helen, last September in Greece. Lynsey Addario for Time
Empowering local first responders to reach refugee and migrant women
ATHENS, Greece/UNITED NATIONS, New York – Over two years ago, Greece became the centre of a refugee and migration crisis, with hundreds of thousands of people streaming into the country, many of them risking death to... Read more
18 December 2017
News
Fatima tells her story. She has endured over a decade of abuse. © UNFPA Iraq/Salwa Moussa
Enduring domestic violence in Iraq: One woman’s story
ERBIL, Iraq – “I was so desperate, I had lost hope. Committing suicide seemed the only escape from the abuse, back then,” Fatima* said in an interview earlier this month. “I didn’t know how to handle the pain.” A mother... Read more
14 December 2017
News
District family court judge Yorlin Matamoro has received a UNFPA-supported master's degree in gender equality and human rights. © UNFPA Nicaragua/Joaquín Zuñiga
Judges in Nicaragua learn to see the world through the eyes of vulnerable women
ESTELI, Nicaragua – At only 19, Michelle Zeledón, from the north of Nicaragua, has been through a lot. She watched her father beat her mother, and endured years of his verbal abuse. “One time, during the Holy Week, my... Read more

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