Violence Against Women Persists in Bangladesh

Bangladesh, often cited as a model of progress in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), appears to be sliding backwards when it comes to dealing with violence against women (VAW).

Record Number Seeks Food Aid in the U.S.

Against the backdrop of a spreading global economic crisis, exacerbated by changing climate patterns, the global aim of guaranteeing food security for all by 2015 appears to be far from being achieved.

Communal Land Titling at a Standstill in Peru

The titling of the lands of indigenous and peasant communities has been at a practical standstill for two years, with many of the corresponding files lost or incomplete. But the promotion of foreign investment is moving full steam ahead in the same regions.

Law Fails to Protect Malawi Children

Patrick Martin, 14, and his brother Mayeso, 15, are safely home for the moment with their mother and other siblings in Kasonya village, Phalombe District in southern Malawi, after they and 12 other children were rescued from being trafficked to neighbouring Mozambique last month by their father.

Giving Women Land, Giving them a Future

Clarisse Kimbi barely ekes out a living from a tiny parcel of land in Kom village in the North West Region of Cameroon. Today, the mother of six finds it hard to put food on the table for herself and her children. But five years ago she, her husband and children were considered well-off.

Village Project Helps Rural Producers in Senegal

Increased harvests in the northern Senegalese community of Léona provide evidence of the benefits of multifaceted support for agriculture. But as their yields grow, farmers are calling for consistent policy to protect markets for their crops.

Developing World Has 80 Percent of Tobacco-Related Deaths

Tobacco use led to almost six million deaths in 2011, according to new research released here on Monday, of which nearly 80 percent were in low- and middle-income countries.

Women Hit Hard by Natural Disasters

In the aftermath of a natural disaster, women are often the most vulnerable. Particularly in rural areas, women suffer disproportionately from inadequate shelter and poor sanitation facilities and are often tasked with rebuilding shattered homes.

Q&A: Disaster Resilience Starts with Grassroots Women

Women and girls can be powerful agents of change, but they are disproportionately affected by disasters because of social roles, discrimination and poverty.

Malawi’s Heroines of the Floods

For many women in Malawi’s disaster-prone southern district of Nsanje, resilience is essential to survive the cyclical flooding.

In 2012, Swaziland’s King Faces People Power

Swaziland’s King Mswati III is under immense pressure following the constitutional crisis that has resulted from his cabinet’s refusal to resign after the House of Assembly passed a vote of no confidence.

Women Are the New ‘Emerging Market’

Empowering women in the business world is not only a smart political decision, but also makes good economic sense.

Experts Urge Focus on Microeconomics in Maghreb

A failure to focus on small-scale economics could be the most significant obstacle to stability in North Africa in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, economists, diplomats and development workers warned here on Friday.

Brazil’s Gender Quota Law Off to Underwhelming Start

Brazil’s new law requiring that 30 percent of candidates must be women made a less than impressive debut in Sunday’s municipal elections, although female candidates for mayor made better headway than women running for town councils.

Rural Women in Peru Cope “Where Life Is Very Sad”

When the crops in her rural highlands community in southern Peru were covered with a thick layer of ice one night, Felícitas Quispe, 43, organised her neighbours to make an effort to keep people from starving to death.

Cooperatives Summit Celebrates Power in Diversity

The migratory seeds of cooperatives were sown and first thrived in Europe, but have since adapted to the climate of nations worldwide.

Report Accuses China of Mass Forced Evictions

Wang Jiazheng's family was sleeping at home when the bulldozers, along with security officers, entered their village at dawn.

Where Drugs Abound – and Syringes to Fight AIDS Are Scarce

In northern Mexico, one of the areas in the country hit hardest by drug trafficking, there are not enough syringes to protect intravenous drug users from HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.

U.N. Launches Global Campaign to Abolish Child Marriages

The United Nations has launched a global campaign to abolish an anachronistic social practice still prevalent in some communities around the world: child marriages.

Reduce Poverty in Africa – Educate a Girl

While in the last decade an additional 52 million of sub-Saharan Africa’s children enrolled in primary schools, with girl’s enrolment increasing from 54 percent to 74 percent, a large majority of girls - 16 million – are still being denied access to education.

Child Marriage Defies Laws in Nepal

Social activists in Nepal agree that the one reason why this impoverished country will miss the gender-linked Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations is the persistence of child marriage.