Gender Violence

U.S. Proposal Would Cut Military Powers on Rape Cases

By Carey L. Biron
The new U.S. secretary of defence, Chuck Hagel, pushed Monday for reforms of the armed forces’ judicial code that would roll back an archaic provision allowing high-ranking commanders to overturn military court verdicts, a move that would particularly impact on cases involving sexual assaults.

Water Shortage Hits Pacific Women

By Catherine Wilson
The Solomon Islands, a developing island nation in the south-west Pacific Islands, has one of the highest urbanisation rates in the region, and the basic service infrastructure is struggling to cater for the influx of people from the provinces to the capital, Honiara. Thirty-five percent of the city’s population, who live in informal settlements, are facing the health consequences of a dire shortage of clean water and sanitation.

U.N. Greenlights Long-Awaited Arms Trade Treaty

By George Gao
For many in the international community, the iconic sculpture outside the U.N. Visitors’ Centre appears more prominent today, as the majority of member states tightened its knot by adopting the first ever Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).

Acid Victims Have a Lot to Undo

By Sujoy Dhar
Her face covered with a maroon  scarf and with large old -fashioned goggles hiding her eyes, Sonali Mukherjee lived one of the most cherished moments of her life when she earned a jackpot on a show hosted by Indian film star Amitabh Bachchan.

Women Long to Work in Peace

By K. S. Harikrishnan
Shaken by the brutal gang rape and murder of a young woman in the national capital New Delhi last December, the female workforce in India is calling for more concrete measures for the protection of female employees from both physical and non-physical attacks.

“Merchants of Death” Fly Under the Radar of U.N. Arms Trade Treaty

By George Gao
Viktor Bout earned a few monikers in his heyday: “Merchant of Death”, “Sanctions Buster” and “Lord of War”. He’s the poster boy for illicit arms brokers – a guild of shadowy intermediaries who link arms suppliers to their end users.

These Women Know Their Assailants

By Neena Bhandari
Lynette Edwards (not her real name) grew up watching her mother being beaten by her partner each night. In high school, Edwards began associating with bullies, thinking this would protect her from being abused; but when she turned 16, two male acquaintances raped her.

Naming Femicide to Fight Violence Against Women in Ecuador

By Ángela Meléndez
Ecuador hopes to move forward in the fight against violence against women by typifying femicide – gender-motivated killings – as a specific crime in the new penal code.

Conflicts of Interest Plague Arms Trade Treaty Talks

By George Gao
The U.N. organ tasked with maintaining international peace and security harbours a serious conflict at its core.

Taliban Victims Seek Support

By Ashfaq Yusufzai
People disabled through bomb and suicide attacks by the Taliban in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the nearby Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province are seeking support for themselves, and demanding strict action against the Taliban.

U.N. Meet on Women Wrangles Consensus to Address Violence

By George Gao
In her opening speech for the world’s largest conference on ending violence against women and girls, Michelle Bachelet summoned the spirit of 15-year old Malala Yousafzai, who’s skull was shattered on Oct. 9, 2012 by a Taliban bullet.

Peace Laureate Obama Urged to Back Arms Trade Treaty

By Carey L. Biron
Eighteen Nobel Peace Prize recipients called Thursday for President Barack Obama to take a leadership role in supporting a “historic” internationally binding agreement that would regulate the global arms trade, including instituting a strict ban on arms sales to states involved in egregious human rights abuses.

A Political Tug-of-War Over Militarism and Gender Violence

By Thalif Deen
When the largest single gathering of women met at the United Nations in February last year, the adoption of a future plan of action was undermined by rigidly conservative governments opposed to women's reproductive rights - largely misinterpreted as a right to abortion.

VIDEO: African Communities Strengthen Women’s Access to Justice

By Lusha Chen
On the sidelines of the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Huairou Commission (HC), on March 4th, organised a panel discussion on women's access to justice. 

Nobel Laureates Back “Strong, Autonomous” Inter-American Rights System

By Carey L. Biron
Six women recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday lauded the work of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), offering additional high-level support for the institution just weeks ahead of a critical vote on a reforms process that many worry could irreparably weaken the Inter-American system.

Q&A: “A Pastoralist Woman Is Like a Working Machine”

By Mathieu Vaas
"In some communities, you can’t talk about violence against women," says Agnes Leina, executive director of Il'laramatak Community Concerns (ICC), a group that promotes the human rights of pastoralist communities in northern and southern Kenya, with a special emphasis on women and girls.

OP-ED: Violence Against Women Must End

By Babatunde Osotimehin
Today is International Women’s Day, and the issue of gender-based violence is topic A. Sadly, it has been a newsworthy topic in the global media, as well.

Haiti Moves to Tighten Laws on Sexual Violence

By Ansel Herz
Haiti is poised to enact major reforms to its penal code to make it easier for victims of rape to prosecute their attackers.

U.N. Declares Zero Tolerance for Violence Against Women

By Marzieh Goudarzi
U.N. agency heads gathered Tuesday to reassert their unified commitment to ending the epidemic of violence against women and girls, and bringing justice and healing to survivors.

SLIDESHOW: Violence Against Women Takes Centre Stage in New York

By Mathieu Vaas
On Sunday,  Mar. 3, nongovernmental organisations working on women’s rights gathered in New York City for the annual meeting of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women.

Reframing Gender, from Chaos to Creativity Post-2015

By George Gao
The U.N. has opened up public platforms to engage the world on how best to replace the expiring Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and frame a new development agenda, post-2015.
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