Women's Health

Prostitution an ‘Egregious Violation of Human Rights’—UN Special Rapporteur

By Naureen Hossain
Reem Alsalem, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, calls prostitution a “system of violence” that does not benefit society at all, especially the women and girls forced into this system.

How the Geneva Consensus Declaration Threatens International Cooperation and Development

By Stephanie Musho
Last week, UN member states adopted the Pact of the Future – and its two annexes: the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration for Future Generations. These action-oriented documents are envisaged to counter emerging threats to development and acceleration of progress on Agenda 2030. Nonetheless, there remains little political prioritization of reproductive justice on this agenda.

Inequality in Access to Abortion Rights in Latin America

By Mariela Jara
The struggle for women's right to decide in Latin America and the Caribbean, for their access to legal, safe and free abortion continues in the region, with some countries fully criminalising it, others with severe regulations, and a few guaranteeing better conditions, while threats of regression persist.

World Governments, NGOs Announce $350m Investments in Sexual and Reproductive Health Services

By Naureen Hossain
On the heels of the Summit of the Future and the sidelines of the United Nations High-Level Meeting Week, governments and philanthropies pledged to commit at least USD 350 million to boost family planning, sexual and reproductive health and supplies on the national and global level. As enshrined in the newly-adopted Pact for the Future, seeking new international finance models is critical to solving the issues that the world faces today. The decision to pledge forward is a demonstration of commitment to ongoing health issues.

Using Education To Stop the Generational Cycle of Violence Against Women in the Pacific

By Catherine Wilson
Parliamentary representation by women in Pacific Island countries remains stubbornly low at 8.4 percent. Yet women leaders across the region have been meeting every year for the past four decades to discuss goals and drive action to address gender inequality and the most pressing development challenges in the Pacific.

At 76, India’s ‘Super Granny’ to Run Marathon in Australian Masters Event

By Diwash Gahatraj
Kmoin Wahlang, a 76-year-old woman, starts her running training every morning at 4 a.m. Dressed in track pants, a jacket, and running shoes, she sets out to navigate the hilly terrain of the small village of Shngimawlein in the southwest Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya, a state in northeastern India.

INDIA: ‘Civil Society Organisations Are at the Forefront of the Fight Against Gender-based Violence’

By CIVICUS

 
CIVICUS discusses the recent wave of protests against gender-based violence (GBV) in India with Dr Kavitha Ravi, a member of the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

Absence of Reproductive Care Haunts Syrian Displaced Women

By Sonia Al Ali
Pregnant women in northern Syria's camps for internally displaced people fear about their health and the health of their unborn children because of a lack of basic medical care and a healthy diet. These conditions exacerbate the illnesses and challenges faced by women, particularly amid the region's widespread poverty, food insecurity, and the remoteness of hospitals and health centers from the camps.

The Price Women Pay for Climate Change

By Oritro Karim
Global warming, widely believed to be a universal crisis, will actually impact girls and women far more than boys and men. It is already known that we live in a patriarchal world, one in which men are afforded far greater opportunities for success while women generally hold less societal power and have access to fewer resources. This especially pertains to developing countries in which agriculture related work, usually delegated to females, depends on a variety of environmental factors and subsequently, significantly hurts their livelihoods.

Parliamentarians: Active Aging Enhanced By Using Artificial Intelligence

By IPS Correspondent
With projections that by 2060, over 1.2 billion people in Asia will be 65 or older, and by adopting technology, including artificial intelligence technologies, it is possible to plan for active and fulfilled aging, lawmakers attending a regional meeting on Aging Preparedness and Care Economy in Asia heard.

Zimbabwe Needs Awareness, Advanced Tech to Beat Cancer

By Jeffrey Moyo
Earlier this year, then 46-year-old Lydia Musundiwa, based in the Zimbabwean capital Harare, was diagnosed with colon cancer, which, already at an advanced stage, killed her in less than two months. Now, Landeni, her 49-year-old widower, has to contend with the burden of looking after their three children single-handedly.

From Trauma to Triumph: Kenyan Women’s Courageous Battle Against Female Genital Mutilation

By Robert Kibet
In the heart of Empash village, a fragmented community nestled in Suswa, Narok County, some 62 miles northwest of Nairobi, Naomy Kolian's story unfolds like a gripping saga of pain, resilience, and unyielding determination. It was here, amidst the familiar surroundings of her home, that she was subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM), a brutal tradition that left her with physical and emotional scars. This hidden trauma would linger, haunting her well into adulthood.

New Child Marriages, Cohabitation With a Child Law in Sierra Leone Lauded

By Joyce Chimbi
“A person shall not contract marriage with a child,” Sierra Leone’s landmark Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024 says, outlawing, in no uncertain terms, child marriage, giving consent to and attempted child marriage, officiating, attending and promoting child marriage, and use of force or ill-treatment of a child.

Investing in Teachers, School Leaders Key in Keeping Girls in School UN-African Union Study Finds

By Maina Waruru
Investing in teachers and school leaders in Africa is the most important factor in promoting educational opportunities for girls, keeping them in school and ending child marriage, ultimately reducing gender inequality through education.

Turning the Tide: Health Community Turns to UNFCCC for Inclusivity

By Friday Phiri
There is a rapid realization that climate change is impacting health, which is why the recently adopted World Health Organization's Climate Change and Health Resolution is considered pivotal.

Lawmakers Deliberate on ICPD30, Water Security at Tajikistan Conference

By IPS Correspondent
It's been 30 years since the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action (ICPD30) was adopted in Cairo, transforming policy and thinking on population and development issues.

The World Must Not Abandon the Mothers of Gaza

By Natalia Kanem
As millions of children and families celebrate their mothers, my thoughts turn to the pregnant women and new mothers our teams at UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, support in more than 130 countries around the world. And I hold in my heart all those who, tragically, will never live to see their newborns.

IPCI 2024: Technology as a Tool to Advance and Threaten Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights

By Naureen Hossain
Technology emerged as a core theme of IPCI Oslo for its relevance in advancing the objectives of the Cairo Programme of Action. When channeled for good, it is an effective tool that can fill accessibility gaps in the health sector and spread awareness of sexual and reproductive health rights. Yet, the way in which digital technology has been weaponized against SRHR is of great concern for parliamentarians, especially for women.

IPCI 2024: Oslo Conference Focuses on Parliamentary Power over Reproductive Rights

By Naureen Hossain
Gearing up for the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), the world’s parliamentarians and ministers are meeting in Oslo to determine the course of action needed to promote sexual and reproductive human rights (SRHR).

WHO Calls for More Data on Violence Against Older Women and Women With Disabilities

By Naureen Hossain
Older women and women with disabilities experience abuse that is unique to their demographics, yet they are underrepresented in national and global databases, according to findings shared by the World Health Organization (WHO).

International Women’s Day, 2024
Rural Tajik Woman’s Road to Empowering Women Living with HIV

By Ed Holt
Born and raised in a rural area in a traditional Tajik family, Takhmina Haidarova managed to finish high school with excellent grades and wanted to go to university. “[But] it was compulsory for my family to give higher education to boys, and girls were trained to be housewives,” she says. Her dream of higher education was instead replaced by an arranged marriage to a cousin.
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