News on Gender-based violence

1 May 2017
News
“There has been an exodus of qualified midwives and reproductive health professionals,” Shatha Al Mostafa told UNFPA. © UNFPA/Nadine Cornier
Heroic midwives save lives amid Syria’s chaos
GAZIANTEP, Turkey – Midwife Shatha Al Mostafa started her career at the most difficult time possible – amid the escalating violence, insecurity and human rights abuses in her home country, Syria. Since graduating from... Read more
13 April 2017
News
Education is helping young people combat Zambia's high rates of teen pregnancy and HIV. © UNFPA Zambia/Helene Christensen
Sexuality education offers life-saving lessons to Zambia’s young people
LUSAKA, Zambia – “I have seen girls become pregnant, become victims of violence and become HIV-positive, and I don't want to become one of those girls,” said 13-year-old Lydia Mwelwa, a student at Kabulonga Basic School... Read more
7 April 2017
News
“The most difficult part of my job is the repeated cases, where the husband will not change his behaviour, where the wife is not able to leave, and where she is abused again and again,” says caseworker Lu Bu. © UNFPA/Yenny Gamming
UNFPA responds to gender violence in conflict-scarred Kachin
WAING MAW, Myanmar – “Some women are very upset and are not able to immediately explain what has happened,” caseworker Daw Lu Bu explained in Myanmar’s conflict-ridden Kachin State, where she treats survivors of gender-... Read more
5 April 2017
News
María is leading recovery efforts in her community. "The situation is decaying each day," she said. © UNFPA/Cotera
Over 1 million affected by brutal flooding, landslides in Peru
LIMA, Peru – More than 1 million people have been affected by an unprecedented level of flooding, landslides and heavy rains in Peru. Twenty-four out of the country’s 25 departments are grappling with the crisis,... Read more
23 March 2017
News
A displaced woman from Taizz receives a dignity kit containing hygiene supplies and other basic items. © UNFPA Yemen
At two-year mark, Yemen’s conflict takes heavy toll on women and girls
SANA’A, Yemen – On 26 March 2015, the conflict in Yemen dramatically escalated. Two years later, it has become one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.  An estimated 18.8 million people – two thirds of the... Read more
8 March 2017
News
Sexual harassment is rampant on Sri Lanka's public transport system, with far-reaching effects on their jobs, educations and lives. © UNFPA Sri Lanka
Ninety per cent of Sri Lankan women endure sexual harassment on public transport, UNFPA study shows
UNITED NATIONS, New York/COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Ninety per cent of women in Sri Lanka have endured sexual harassment while taking public transport, a new study commissioned by UNFPA has found. The findings, released last... Read more
24 February 2017
News
A women's meeting in South Sudan. A free online course is helping aid workers improve safety and services for women and girls. © UNFPA South Sudan/Harriet Adong
Online course helps aid workers help women and girls
UNITED NATIONS, New York – An online course for humanitarians is raising new awareness about women’s needs and vulnerabilities in emergency-affected communities around the world. “It acted as an eye opener, and it made... Read more
16 February 2017
News
Families, including pregnant women, children, and disabled and elderly people, have fled shelling and airstrikes in northern Myanmar’s Kachin State. © Metta Development Foundation
Reaching women and girls across the line of fire in Myanmar’s Kachin conflict
KACHIN STATE, Myanmar – Since the armed conflict in northern Myanmar’s Kachin State intensified in December, nearly 7,000 people have fled the area, often amid shelling and airstrikes. Among the people on the run are... Read more
1 February 2017
News
Solani Zapata, a member of her region's indigenous council, says talking about FGM sparked conversations about women's role in society. © UNFPA/Daniel Baldotto
In Colombia, efforts to end FGM are empowering women to be leaders
BOGOTA, Colombia – Solani Zapata first heard about female genital mutilation (FGM) when she gave birth to her daughter. Her mother-in-law insisted she had to cut her newborn’s clitoris. Shocked, Ms. Zapata refused.  She... Read more
20 January 2017
News
The outreach campaign provided antenatal care, postpartum services, family planning counselling and many other services. © UNFPA Somalia
Thousands reached in Somalia reproductive health campaign
MORODIJEEX – It was early morning when a young sheikh, Abdi Iidan, and his wife joined the long queue leading to a tent in Morodijeex, in north-western Somalia. Mr. Iidan stood out from the crowd; women dominated the... Read more

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