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Thursday, November 12, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Gender
WOMEN’S DAY: Comic Strip Tells a Serious Story
Violence against women is not a subject that one would normally associate with comic strip books, but a French publisher thought this would be a "perfect" medium for raising awareness among both young and old.WOMEN’S DAY: Pakistan Is Not for Single Women
Sobia Aslam, in her forties and twice divorced, often feels she should get married a third time.
WOMEN’S DAY: DRC Mobile Court a Sign of Hope
Eleven soldiers found culpable in the rape of more than 50 women in the Congolese town of Fizi Centre in January, have begun serving lengthy sentences in the provincial capital, Bukavu. Their speedy trial and sentencing by a mobile court is a welcome sign of a new commitment to ending impunity for sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.WOMEN’S DAY: Reflecting on Struggle for Equality in Kenya
"It is yet another significant day in the life of women across the world in the struggle for gender equality and equity. It is for this reason that women look forward to marking yet another International Women Day," says Janet Kanene, a gender studies university student.
WOMEN’S DAY: Overcoming Barriers in Central America
Amarilis Chilel, 15, left her hometown of Ixchiguán in northwest Guatemala to work as a domestic in the capital: a common story among rural girls and women in Central America. "I went to school up to fourth grade," she told IPS.
WOMEN’S DAY: An Arab Israeli Woman Fighting on All Fronts
"Every woman is a woman of frustration. Me, I'm just struggle." Hanin Zoabi, 41, is a Palestinian Israeli woman, a fighting woman. An elected member of the Israeli Knesset parliament, she is the first woman on an Arab party's list, Balad.
WOMEN’S DAY: Nepalese Maoists Abandoned by Party and Family
As ‘Flames of the Snow’, a documentary on the ten-year civil war waged by Nepal’s Maoist party played at Kathmandu’s Kumari cinema recently, Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" saluted women who fought in his People’s Liberation Army (PLA).WOMEN’S DAY: Rallies Planned in Iran Despite Crackdown
Women's rights campaigners are hoping for a strong turnout to public rallies set to be staged across the Islamic Republic of Iran next Tuesday, despite a government crackdown on opposition demonstrators in recent weeks.
WOMEN’S DAY: A Historic Opportunity Unveiled
In 1945, more than half a century ago, the signing of the United Nations Charter in San Francisco wrote women's equality into its canon, creating an indisputable commitment to gender equity in the post-World War global order.
WOMEN’S DAY: Female Scientists Abound in Brazil – But Not at Senior Levels
There are nearly as many female as male scientists in Brazil. But in academia or in private laboratories, women face subtle barriers to career advancement and equal salaries.Ivorian Women Fatally Shot at Rally
Security forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, Cote d'Ivoire's disputed president, have shot dead at least six women at a demonstration in support of his rival, Alassane Ouattara, witnesses said.
Q&A: “We Denounce the Militarisation of Our Lives”
Paramilitary groups in Colombia continue to threaten, harass and violently attack women's rights activists, says Patricia Guerrero, founder of a leading human rights group.BRAZIL: Rural Women Protest Use of Toxic Agrochemicals
Thousands of women farmers in Brazil demonstrated this week against the use of toxic weedkillers and pesticides on crops and in favour of agricultural techniques that protect their families' health.
Q&A: “The Sky Is My Laboratory”
When it comes to breaking through the glass ceiling, astronomers are among the most determined of female professionals. And they have high aspirations. "The sky is my laboratory," Argentine astrophysicist Gloria Dubner told IPS.
Q&A: Rural Women Need Concrete Actions
Burundi will put U.N. Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security into practice with a National Action Plan (NAP) that is ready to be signed within the coming months.Shining a Light on Women’s Rights
How does a woman challenge deeply entrenched cultural practices to convince her husband, her brother or father that she can demand equal rights?Meet the Other U.N. Women
Tucked away from the high-level plenary sessions of the 55th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), a small chapel opposite the United Nations headquarters came to life Wednesday morning with the voices and stories of the real women behind U.N. Women.KENYA: One Woman’s Turbulent Journey to Success
Mount Elgon in Western Kenya is one of the most marginalised regions in the country. It is so marginalised that it is the only area where not even an inch of tarmac road has been constructed.Pregnancies Don’t Wait for Emergencies to End
When disaster strikes, the initial humanitarian response tends to focus on basic commodities like food and shelter. But as the crisis or conflict drags on, other critical needs often go unmet – such as prenatal care for pregnant women, and emergency contraception for victims of sexual assault.Native Women Seek Justice at U.N.
The United States is facing international scrutiny for its apparent failure to prosecute criminals who enter indigenous territories to prey on Native women and girls.Vicious Cycle of Maternal Mortality
Addressing the National Convention of the Medical Committee for Human Rights in Chicago, Illinois in 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated unequivocally that, "Of all the forms of inequality in the world, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane."« Previous Page — Next Page »
Women make up half the world's population, but don't nearly share half of the world's wealth, well-being and opportunity. Two-thirds of the world poor are women, disproportionally exposing women to precarious living conditions, disease and unmitigated natural disasters. The media, meanwhile, remains a male-dominated sector in much of the world, contributing to women's voices lacking a crucial amplifier to put their concerns on political agendas and unleash the development potential of their ingenuity. Rather than then stereotypical victims of local and global forces, women are also organizer, innovators, conservators and community builders. These are some of their stories.
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