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A secret pregnancy in the Comoros: One teen’s story
Sara* was 17 when she found out she was pregnant. Living in a rural village in the Comoros, she carried the entire pregnancy in secret, and then gave birth in a hospital bathroom.
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Two wheelchairs and a stroller: Overcoming barriers to parenthood in Belarus
When Anya Shevko, 29, became pregnant, she had to weigh herself at a recycling centre because the local maternity clinic did not have suitable scales. Even visiting the clinic was difficult because Anya is in a…
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“Your voice is your weapon”: Taking on sexual harassment in Egypt
“Your fear is controlling you,” instructor Amany Abdel-Aal told a roomful of women at a Wen-Do self-defence class, held in a cheerfully painted youth centre on the outskirts of Cairo.
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Men take a stand against gender-based violence in Azerbaijan
Recent weeks have seen several high-profile cases of gender-based violence splashed across headlines. Millions of women around the world have demanded an end to these abuses – and, increasingly, people are calling for…
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Evacuees waiting to return home after Bali volcano alert
Escalating volcanic activity at Mount Agung in Bali prompted Indonesian authorities to issue an SOS alert, the highest-level warning, on 22 September. By 6 October, over 139,000 people had been evacuated.
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Gender inequality, lack of information fuel teen pregnancies in Timor-Leste
“I knew a little bit about how a baby is made, but not too much,” said Natalia, 19, in Aileu, the rocky highlands of Timor-Leste. Her 1-year-old daughter, Afeena, was sleeping nearby. “I had no education about this at…
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Sexual violence devastating, humanitarian needs mounting in Rohingya crisis
“My sister was killed after gang rape in front of me, and they threw hot water on my body,” Fatima*, 30, told a case worker at a UNFPA-supported women-friendly space in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Almost 600,000 Rohingya…
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From child bride to beauty expert: one Jordanian woman’s story
On most weekday afternoons, you can find 22-year-old Hiba* working at a salon in Amman. But what few of her clients know is that she was once a child bride – an experience that haunted her for years.
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Ten actions for a more equal world
Vast inequalities threaten economies, communities and nations, says The State of World Population 2017, UNFPA’s flagship report, released today.
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