News on Gender-based violence

3 August 2017
News
Globally, pregnancy-related complications are the leading cause of death among girls aged 15 to 19. Photograph by Lucy Tomasino
Teen pregnancies, and attendant health risks, a major concern in El Salvador
AHUACHAPÁN, El Salvador – “I could have died the day my son was born,” said Evelyn*, who became pregnant when she was only 13. Her pregnancy was complicated, and she spent most of the time bedridden and in constant... Read more
28 July 2017
News
Women participate in a community discussion about ending practices that are harmful to women and girls. In this session, they are talking about child marriage. © UNFPA Ethiopia/Meron Negash
Cursed no more – women in western Ethiopia reject childbirth alone in the bush
BENISHANGUL-GUMUZ, Ethiopia – Three times, Abebech Kabla has given birth alone in the woods. Each time, she thought she might die. The first time, she was only 13 years old, a year into her marriage. “Even after giving... Read more
20 July 2017
News
A pilot programme is working to stop the cycle of violence in Cambodia, where half of women and a quarter of men say wife beating can be justified. © UNFPA Cambodia/Sophanara Pen
To end violence against women, Cambodian project teaches healthy relationships
KAMPONG CHAM, Cambodia – Women in Cambodia’s Kampong Cham Province are no strangers to violence. A staggering 33 per cent of women in the province have experienced physical violence since age 15, a 2014 survey revealed... Read more
3 July 2017
News
A family opens up a UNFPA-supplied dignity kit at the evacuation centre in the Moneerah Integrated School. © UNFPA
Violence in Marawi displaces thousands of pregnant women and new mothers
ILIGAN, Philippines – Nineteen-year-old Tarhata Mostare gave birth to her third child at home on 23 May – the same day fighting erupted between government forces and the Maute and Abu Sayyaf armed groups in the city of... Read more
7 June 2017
News
UNFPA mobile teams have reached thousands of survivors of gender-based violence in Ukraine. © UNFPA/Maks Levin
For many women in Ukraine, escape from conflict not an escape from violence
IZIUM, Ukraine – Things started to fall apart for Mariana* when she was forced to flee fighting in the Donetsk region in 2016. She and her father camped on the doorsteps of social services centres until they managed to... Read more
31 May 2017
News
The medical centre handles an assortment of issues, from maternal care to abuse. "There is a lot of domestic violence within the camp," said Adorable, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. © UNFPA
Betou medical staff work around the clock to serve village of refugees
BETOU, Republic of the Congo – “Some months we have more than 145 births at the centre – a lot, considering that we only are six midwives working here,” said Solange, a midwife at a medical centre in Betou, a village in... Read more
23 May 2017
News
The staff at the Women's and Girls' Centre in Waing Maw, in Myanmar, are working with communities to stop gender-based violence. © UNFPA/Yenny Gamming
Counsellors reach out to Kachin communities to end gender violence
WAING MAW, Myanmar – “We should not have to live in fear of violence just because we are women,” Khaung Nan declared in Waing Maw, a town in Myanmar’s battle-worn Kachin State. Ms. Khaung Nan works at the Waing Maw... Read more
10 May 2017
News
A woman in Jakarta, Indonesia. A new survey reveals women in the country face high rates of violence. © CEphoto, Uwe Aranas
New survey shows violence against women widespread in Indonesia
JAKARTA, Indonesia – Dita* never imagined that she would be a single mother at the age of 33. But after enduring 10 years of an abusive marriage, she found herself alone and struggling to raise two children. Her husband... Read more
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

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