RIGHTS-MEXICO: Journalist Hit with Libel Charge after Exposing Paedophile Ring

Journalist and activist Lydia Cacho believes that the influence wielded by a powerful child prostitution and pornography ring is responsible for the death threats she has been receiving for months and her recent arrest on criminal libel charges.

CHALLENGES 2005-2006: No Turning Back on Gay Rights in Cuba

As hundreds of same-sex couples in Britain - including singer-songwriter Elton John and Canadian-born filmmaker David Furnish, his partner of 12 years - are taking advantage of a new law that allows them to enter into civil partnerships with the same rights as heterosexual marriages, gays and lesbians in Cuba are still struggling to achieve a bare minimum of social acceptance.

HEALTH-BRAZIL: NGOs Push to Avoid Preventable Maternal Deaths

The death of a woman in childbirth is a horrific blow to a family preparing for what is meant to be a joyous event, the arrival of a new life. In Brazil, the loss is made even more painful by the fact that over 90 percent of these deaths are preventable.

SOUTH AFRICA: Enough About AIDS Already? No – Too Little

South Africa's high HIV prevalence has been described as the biggest challenge facing the country since apartheid. In light of this, one would expect to be bombarded with AIDS prevention messages on radio, television, billboards and bus stops. Yet some say that not enough of these messages are available.

HEALTH-JAPAN: HIV Breeds on Complacent Attitudes Among Youth

Eri Iwase, 19, a pretty first year university student, says she is not worried about being infected with HIV virus that causes Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), even though she is sexually active.

IVORY COAST: The Kindest Cut of All – Severing a Harmful Tradition

Thirty practitioners of female circumcision in the Ivorian financial capital, Abidjan, have publicly laid aside their blades, knives and scissors. This is the result of an ongoing campaign in the West African country to eradicate the practice, estimated by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to affect 40 percent of women living there.

PHILIPPINES: ‘Church, a Goliath Against Reproductive Health’

When Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo told the U.N. General Assembly recently to "respect the deep Catholicism of the Filipino people" and said that natural family planning is more effective than artificial means like condoms, Filipino activists reacted with disbelief, others with anger.

HEALTH-ASIA: Sex Education Can Be Creative, Say Experts

Many Asian countries now have sexual health education in schools, but teachers often focus on health and biology and leave out the very issue they need to address - sexuality, said experts at a regional conference here, this week.

ASIA: Divisions Harm Reproductive Health, Anti-AIDS Efforts

What’s the difference between condoms meant to block transmission of HIV/AIDS and those aimed at preventing unwanted pregnancies? None, of course - although you'd never guess as much when looking at the work of AIDS campaigners and those who promote family planning.

WOMEN: What If Not Enough Are Around

A recommendation by a British parliamentary committee to allow a couple to select the sex of their child under certain circumstances is leading to new fears in Asian and African communities.

POPULATION-BRAZIL: Reaching Out to Young Men to Fight Gender Violence

Watching his mother receive frequent beatings at the hands of his stepfather, until she finally lost her hearing in one ear, made him a quiet teenager who keeps his gaze glued to the floor.

POPULATION: Better for Women Also Better for Men

Development needs a new boost - a change in male attitudes, says Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, executive director of the United Nations Population Fund.

POPULATION-SOUTH AFRICA: “Men Must Work with Other Men”

For Tukisang Senne, programme director at the Planned Parenthood Association of South Africa (PPASA), the battle to put men and women on an equal footing has to be waged on various fronts.

CULTURE: Hotugandans.com + Red Pepper = Controversy

The spread of the internet has opened Uganda to a vast array of trends and influences that would have had little effect in previous years. However, a good many citizens who have peered into this brave new world are not sure they like what they see - especially the two pornography sites featuring Ugandans that took the country by surprise recently.

KENYA: “In a Situation Like This, Who Cares About Human Rights?”

Behind a dilapidated store in a dusty field at Athi River, an export processing zone (EPZ) on the outskirts of Kenya's capital, Nairobi, a group of textile factory workers has gathered for a mid-afternoon break. The heat is searing, and the hastily purchased cool drinks quench thirsts.

RIGHTS-ALGERIA: When Going to Court Is Too Great a Trial

In a sad reflection of the times, the Drop-In Assistance Centre for Female Sexual Harassment Victims has done a bustling trade in the Algerian capital, Algiers, since being established two years ago. Hundreds of women have made use of the centre, which is funded by the General Union of Algerian Workers – the country’s largest labour body.

HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: HIV-Positives in Search of Love, Click Here

Real love, as they say, can be hard to find. And, the odds of coming across a caring partner are even slimmer if you’re open about being HIV-positive.

CHILE: Paternity Leave – Five Short Days Represent a Huge Step Forward

Mauricio Muñoz's second child will be born in October. But this time around, he will be able to stay home with his wife during the first five days after the birth, thanks to a new paternity leave law that just went into effect in Chile.

UGANDA: Uneven Progress on Gender Equality

Uganda has been widely praised for having a constitution that reflects gender concerns. The 10-year-old document commits the country to affirmative action in the workplace, freedom from sexual discrimination and economic rights for women.

HEALTH-BRAZIL: Infertility Linked to Environmental Factors

The alarm is sounding again in Brazil about the impacts of environmental problems on fertility. This time it is coming from Sao Paulo, the country's biggest metropolis, where the Albert Einstein Hospital's sperm bank is seeing a shortage of good donors.

ARGENTINA: The ‘Final Battle’ for Gay and Lesbian Rights

By drawing the media spotlight to five-year-old twins Lucas and Julia and their two "daddies", the Argentine gay and lesbian community is gearing up to fight for the passage of a bill in Congress that would not only legalise same-sex civil unions, but grant these couples the inheritance and adoption rights normally limited to marriage.