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Friday, November 13, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Gender
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Cash Transfers Transforming Lives of the Poor
When Letesia Mbewe was nominated as a beneficiary in a cash transfer pilot project in Zambia’s Chipata district, she had no idea the project would change her life and that of her three children.
AFRICA: A Loud and Clear No to Violence Against Women
Poet activist Myesha Jenkins' voice reverberated through the hall: "Women are out in the night; we are cleaning the streets, some are walking the streets..."ARGENTINA: “Women in Focus” at Film Festival
The First International Women and Film Festival for Gender Equity drew enthusiastic audiences this month in the Argentine capital, where movies from nearly 40 countries were screened.CHINA: Women Activists on the Forefront of Human Rights Movement
Thirteen years ago a local official in north-east China’s Heilongjiang province tried to extort money from a woman named Liu Jie, who operated a successful cow farm.
Decent Work Still a Dream for South Africa’s Domestic Workers
The abuse of domestic workers, the majority of whom are women, is still widespread in South Africa despite calls for the government to intensify the implementation of the domestic workers law.LATIN AMERICA: Plan to Eradicate HIV, Syphilis in Newborns in Five Years
With the right treatment, mother-to-child transmission of congenital syphilis and HIV, the AIDS virus, can be prevented. But every year, thousands of babies are still being born with these diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean.Success of “The Pill” Overshadowed by Family Planning Gaps
The birth control pill, currently used by an estimated 100 million women worldwide, commemorated its 50th anniversary last week - but remains controversial in some quarters.GUATEMALA: Foreign Adoptions Are Back – Along with the Doubts
The reopening of international adoptions in Guatemala in June might not only mean the chance of a better life for many children, but may also spell a return to corruption, fraud and the theft of babies, human rights groups warn.
MAURITIUS-POLITICS: Voting for the Future
Incumbent Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam has won the Mauritian election, retaining a third term of office.
Greater Support Needed For Botswana’s Women Farmers
On the outskirts of Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, Charity Molefhi is learning the ropes of the horticulture industry.
BRAZIL: Moves to Legalise Abortion Shut Down by Campaign
Politically awkward when it comes to negotiating alliances and congressional support from the right, the decriminalisation of abortion has been dropped from a Brazilian government human rights plan -- and from the election debate, even among candidates who have traditionally been open to the prospect.
PAKISTAN: New Wage Hike a Mere Palliative, Say Labour Advocates
Imran Ali, 23, has no reason to complain. His monthly take home pay of 8,600 Pakistan rupees (about 102 U.S. dollars) as a government employee allows him to augment his family’s meagre income.
ECUADOR: Fewer Mothers Dying Thanks to “Model” Law
Seventeen-year-old Miriam Toaquiza is the only occupant of the teenage mothers' ward in the public hospital in this Andean city. Beside her in the bed is Jennifer, her newborn baby.
Women Punished Twice Over in Colombia’s Prisons
"Loss of freedom should not mean loss of fundamental rights," Diana Sánchez, a lawyer with the Political Prisoners Solidarity Committee (CSPP), told IPS. "But in Colombia prisoners are punished twice over: with a prison sentence, and with restrictions on their other rights."
AUSTRALIA: Hijab-Wearing Footballers Oppose FIFA Ban
Sara Aboueid, 15, and Jamillah Noordin, 16, wear uniforms similar to countless numbers of footballers around the world.RIGHTS: Iceland Wakes Up to Trafficking for Sex Work
It took the conviction of five Lithuanian men in March, on charges of bringing a 19-year-old girl into Iceland for sex work, before this country truly woke up to the reality of trafficking.Security Council Faulted for Gender Hypocrisy
Ten years after a United Nations Security Council resolution aimed at re-evaluating women's roles in U.N.-brokered peacekeeping efforts, women are still underrepresented in the peacekeeping process.
SIERRA LEONE: Bold Plan for Maternal Health
A woman alone: Josephine Bangali fetches water from the well to set to boil over a wood fire so she can sterilise her instruments.
PAKISTAN: Lack of Access to Contraception, Abortion Persist
Perween Riaz, 36, waited till after she gave birth to her sixth child before she finally got herself sterilised.
AFRICA: Fair Trade Farmers’ Exports Hit by Volcanic Ash
African farmers are assessing the financial impact of the Icelandic volcanic ash clouds that led to a lockdown of Europe’s airspace, forcing fair trade flower growers from Africa to throw away 20 million roses that were meant for the European market.
KENYA: Farming Butterflies Puts Food on the Table
For 10 years, Roselyne Shikami, sold boiled eggs at the bus station just outside the densely wooded Kakamega Forest in western Kenya, near the border with Uganda. Now she is selling butterflies.« 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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