HEALTH-AFRICA: Anti-Abortion Laws a “Silent War Waged Against Women”

Calls for abortion laws across Africa to be revised have dominated the first days of a meeting in Ethiopia – the ‘Regional Consultation on Unsafe Abortion in Africa’.

RUSSIA: Getting Worse for Women

Poor enforcement of laws means that the position of women in Russia is worsening in spite of claims to the contrary, a new study by a group of legal experts indicates.

RIGHTS: India Off Paedophile Destinations, Warns Judge

''Let paedophiles around the world know that India should not be their destination in future,'' said Mumbai judge P.S. Paranjape, as he sent two Britons off to jail, on the weekend, for sexually abusing street children under the guise of providing them shelter.

POPULATION-CHINA: Baby Boom or Bust

Fixated on maintaining the country's high-powered economic growth, Chinese policy makers have been soliciting opinions from economists about how to avoid future labour shortages by relaxing and even scrapping the rigid 'one-child' policy.

IRAN: Crackdown Won’t Stop Women’s Movement, Activists Vow

Despite suffering under some of the most draconian laws in the world, Iranian women remain at the forefront of the battle for equality and democracy, as shown by their courage on International Women's Day last week, Iranian women's rights advocates here say.

RIGHTS: Dying for Firewood

Just collecting the cooking fuel essential for survival, millions of refugee and so-called internally displaced women are daily forced to put their lives at risk, says a new report by the New York-based Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children.

DEVELOPMENT: Shorter Lives Trouble Poorest Countries

At a time when people in the developed world are enjoying longer lives, citizens of the world's poorest countries (LDCs) are still expecting to live comparatively short lives.

RIGHTS: U.N. Women’s Meet Targets AIDS, Armed Conflict

The United Nations is calling for international institutions and governments worldwide to ensure equal participation of women in decision-making and to take actions to enhance their role in development.

TRINIDAD: Gender Plan Stymied Over Abortion, Gay Rights

Ever since Prime Minister Patrick Manning all but scuttled a draft national gender policy nearly six months ago, a debate has been raging here as to whether such a plan is necessary for the future socio-economic development of Trinidad and Tobago.

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY: Time to Rise Up, Activists Declare

International Women's Day is being celebrated around the world Wednesday against a backdrop of grim statistics clearly demonstrating that gender equality is a long way off.

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY: Aspiring Decision-Makers Do Battle With Tradition

Monica Amolo's tale is one of endurance and determination: she is intent on being elected to Kenya's parliament, regardless of the intimidation experienced en route.

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY: Hope for Maids in Japan

Lenny Tolentino, a Filipina activist who provides pastoral care for migrant women and children in Japan, says she wept tears of joy and relief when she read a new United Nations report on racism that calls for sweeping changes in the country.

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY: More Female Voices on Screens, Airwaves and Pages

South Africa has made substantial progress in having women's voices heard in the media, says a study released to coincide with International Women's Day on Wednesday.

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY: Death Penalty Rare for Women, But On the Rise in Iran and China

A 17-year-old Iranian girl known only as Nazanin fought off two men trying to rape her, and is said to have fatally stabbed one of them. In January, almost two years after the incident, a Tehran court sentenced her to death.

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY: Mexican Rape Victims Denied Right to Abortion

A woman or girl is raped every four minutes on average in Mexico. But if they get pregnant, there is no guarantee that their right to an abortion as rape victims will be recognised, due to administrative hurdles and outright obstruction by authorities, says a new report released Tuesday.

WOMEN-CHILE: Sexual and Reproductive Rights, Now!

The first annual report by the Chilean Observatory of Gender Equity in Health calls for legislation on sexual and reproductive rights for women, making therapeutic abortion legal once again, and making emergency contraception available to all women.

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY: Groups Blast U.N. on Gender Parity

A coalition of international women's organisations - including more than 240 women from over 50 countries - has castigated both U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the 191 member states for paying "lip service" to the cause of gender parity in the world body.

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY: Activists in Chile Elated, But Won’t Let Down Their Guard

Although they are pleased that Michelle Bachelet will become Chile's first female president, just three days after International Women's Day (Mar. 8), women's organisations in this South American country will make it clear on Wednesday that they have no plans to let down their guard.

ARGENTINA: Young Women Lured into Trafficking by Job Ads

The ads read: "presentable young ladies", "no qualifications or experience required", "easy work," "good conditions," and "hours by arrangement". They often offer salaries of over 2,000 dollars.

HEALTH: Shame and Pain Torment Fistula Sufferers

Obstetric fistula is a preventable and treatable injury caused by several days of obstructed labour, without timely medical intervention. But the consequences of the pervasive disability are life shattering - the baby usually dies, and the woman is left with chronic incontinence.

JAPAN: Wives Stash Cash to Freedom

Masami, 57, is waiting for the day when she can divorce her husband, a respected professor of medicine she married 32 years ago.