RIGHTS: Women Fight to Put Violence on Global Agenda

Joyce and Tanya - two women of different ages, nationalities, cultures and religions - share something: both became victims of a missing goal.

KENYA: Ready For New Abortion Law?

In May 2008, a group of civil society activists launched a campaign to reform Kenya's archaic abortion laws, sparking a countrywide debate. Now, as a new draft bill on women's reproductive health and rights seeking to decriminalise abortions is set to be tabled in parliament, the battle lines between opponents and advocates of abortion are clearly drawn.

RIGHTS-CAMBODIA: Khmer Rouge Trials Bare Sexual Abuse

In a move that could break the silence around sexual violence under the Khmer Rouge, a 68 year-old transgender woman has became the first person to submit a complaint about gender-related abuse to the international tribunal during the group’s brief but bloody reign.

MEXICO: Conservatives Lose Key Battle Against Abortion

The Mexican government, Catholic Church and conservative groups lost a crucial battle Wednesday in their fight against abortion, which was legalised in the capital in April 2007.

POLITICS-US: Women Take the Platform at Dem Convention

From the party platform ratified by delegates between speeches Monday, to primetime, headlining speeches by two heavy hitters in the election - Sen. Hillary Clinton and first-lady hopeful Michelle Obama - the initial two days of the Democratic National Convention were dominated by women.

DEVELOPMENT: Nepal Scrutinises Spending to Cap Gender Gaps

The period between 2002 and 2007, was marked with various political and economic changes in Nepal. As the government and the Maoist rebels fought a bloody war in the hinterlands, exports plummeted due to internal and international factors, investments by government and private sectors dropped due to instability caused by the war and agriculture stagnated. During this period Nepal’s average growth dropped from 5 to 2.9 percent.

ASIA: Rock Star's Expulsion Says No to Child Sex Tourists

When a British rock star, convicted on paedophilia charges, was turned away at two Asian airports, this week, it was seen by child rights activists as a sign that this region will no longer tolerate sex tourism that exploits minors.

POLITICS-SOUTHERN AFRICA: SADC Summit Under Way

A free trade agreement is one of the main points on the agenda at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit presently under way in Johannesburg, South Africa. The summit will also discuss political problems in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Lesotho and consider protocols on gender and poverty eradication.

HEALTH-US: HIV On The Rise

A new study shows that the annual number of HIV infections in the United States is greater than was previously believed. The findings place increased scrutiny on the country’s lack of a national HIV/AIDS program as well as the current Presidential candidates’ plans to combat the epidemic.

HEALTH: Conflicts Make Women More Vulnerable to HIV

"I’m a survivor, and if I can live through all that has happened to me, so can other women," said Floride Nyiraneza, 42, who is HIV positive and a widowed mother of four.

HEALTH: Global Village or Sexual Minority Ghetto?

Dealing with transgenders (TGs) can be confusing. Even the organisers of the 17th International AIDS Conference underway in this city failed to accommodate the third gender by providing them separate toilets.

HEALTH: Time To Base Public Policy On Rights

Preaching abstinence to the young has not worked, nor has sex work been eradicated. Experts gathered here for the 17th International AIDS Conference say it is time to put public policies under the microscope and see why they have failed.

Q&A: “Condoms Have To Be Used To Be Useful”

Of the over 30 million people living with HIV, half are women and the rate of infections in women is rising, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. What’s more, women’s rights groups say gender inequalities are fuelling the epidemic - there is an irrefutable feminisation of HIV.

KENYA: Supporting Single Mothers

There are increasing numbers of single mothers in Kenya. Is it a sign of growing independence of women, or a consequence of poverty and lack of sexual education?

PHILIPPINES: ‘Church Ban on Contraceptives Adding to Poverty’

A growing and heated debate in this predominantly Catholic country revolves around the church’s uncompromising stance against the use of contraceptive devices that is said to be contributing to poverty and affecting the quality of life for many Filipinos.

POPULATION-KENYA: Women's Choices Change Cities

This year the world reaches an invisible but momentous milestone: for the first time in history, more than half its population will be living in urban areas. In Kenya, rapid urbanisation is creating deepening poverty among urban residents.

HEALTH-US: AIDS Plan Stronger But Still Flawed, Groups Say

HIV/AIDS activists Wednesday hailed President George W. Bush's reauthorisation of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to 48 billion dollars for fiscal years 2009 to 2013 as a major step in the global fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Record Gain in Antiretroviral Coverage

They may be known in South-east Asia for their poverty, but that has not stopped Cambodia and Laos from caring for people living with HIV/AIDS. Both countries have increased the supply of the life-prolonging anti-AIDS drugs at home.

RIGHTS-NEPAL: Court Ruling Emboldens Third Gender

Suman Tamang, 26, remembers feeling guilty for wishing he were a man. Tamang, born a woman, wanted to do the heavy work only men do, was friends with more men than women and was attracted to girls. "At that time, I didn’t really understand I was transgender, I was awkward and I knew I was different."

DEVELOPMENT: Gender Focus Urged for U.S. Aid

Women's groups weighed in Tuesday on the growing debate over new goals and strategies for U.S. foreign aid, arguing that to work effectively, foreign aid should target women.

MEXICO: Prostitution Rings Flourish at all Levels

"Diamond VIP" class prostitutes, who are mainly from Eastern Europe, Argentina, Brazil or Cuba, can charge as much as 2,000 dollars in Mexico, while sex workers from southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador or Honduras earn a mere 15 dollars. The price indicates which mafia is handling the women.