Full Coverage: Gender

30.10.2007 Female foeticide has reached alarming levels in Asian countries. If China leads in declining sex ratio, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal follow closely. Experts at the on-going Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights warn against this disturbing trend and call for urgent action.

29.10.2007 Taistelut Iturin alueella Kongon demokraattisen tasavallan koillisosassa ovat pääsääntöisesti rauhoittuneet, mutta siviiliväestö kärsii yhä raskaasta väkivallasta.

29.10.2007 YK:n turvallisuusneuvosto kehottaa YK:n jäsenmaita lisäämään naisten osallistumista päätöksentekoon ja suojelemaan naisia ja tyttöjä sukupuoliperustaiselta väkivallalta konfliktitilanteissa.

26.10.2007 Professor Bina Agarwal of the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Institute of Social Studies (ISS) at Hague (Netherlands), making her join the ranks of earlier recipients Edward Said and Nobel laureates Jan Tinbergen and Amartya Sen.

26.10.2007 The Indian cottonseed industry is marked by the highest proportion of child labour in its workforce, primarily girls. This blatant modern form of child exploitation is linked to the larger operating market forces and masks the social and legal responsibilities of the state, says a recent report.

24.10.2007 NEW YORK, Oct 24 (OneWorld) - Some of the nation's leading performing artists are calling for the U.S. Congress to roll back the Bush administration's policy on global HIV/AIDS funds requiring abstinence from sex until marriage.

23.10.2007 Ningsih (22) was even more surprised when she opened one. Measuring 17cm long and 7cm in diameter with a sponge attached inside, the female condom is indeed large compared to a male condom.

22.10.2007 Jopa joka neljäs intialainen työssäkäyvä nainen jää kokonaan ilman palkkaa, kertoo Intian kolmas kansallinen perhe- ja terveysselvitys, National Family Health Survey.

22.10.2007 The National Family Health Survey III says 25% of Indian women work without pay and 40% of them face domestic violence. The survey also shows how patriarchy colonises women’s minds to make both men and women think wife-beating is okay.

22.10.2007 Dr Pam Rajput, eminent women rights activist and organizer cum jurist of the recent Women’s Tribunal on Poverty has hopes that the issue of Indian women’s engagement with poverty will not end with the tribunal. OneWorld South Asia met her prior to the event to discuss the role of women in ending poverty. Dr Rajput is also Director of the Centre for Women's Studies and Development (CWSD) at Punjab University.

22.10.2007 Kamla Bhasin, feminist activist, author, and poet, was a jury member at the recent Women’s Tribunal on Poverty, held on October 17, the International Day for Eradication of Poverty, in the Indian capital of New Delhi. OneWorld South Asia spoke to her on the need for a separate space for women to raise their voice against poverty. Kamla is also Advisor to South Asian Network of Gender Activists and Trainers (SANGAT).

21.10.2007 The UN International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction that falls on October 10 calls for strategies to prevent and mitigate natural disasters. Kathambi Kinoti says the role of women has been far less explored considering the huge impact that disasters have had on women’s lives. What lessons have we learnt from past disasters?

19.10.2007 Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) reports illiteracy and poverty as main perpetrators of child marriages, leading to domestic violence in 70% of such cases. Young girls married to elderly men are bound to the consequences of such customs that hold elopement as both unlawful and taboo.

18.10.2007 In India, hundreds of women came together to raise their voices against poverty at the Women’s Tribunal on Poverty on October 17. The event, held at New Delhi, was marked by the release of a women’s charter on poverty and a visit to the President, reinforcing their rights to be heard.

18.10.2007 Zimbabwelaisilla naisilla on maanmiehiinsä verrattuna keskimäärin 1,35-kertainen riski saada hiv-tartunta. Syitä tähän ovat ennen muuta naisiin kohdistuva väkivalta ja seksiin pakottaminen, jotka sekä miehet että naiset usein hyväksyvät osaksi avioliittoa.

18.10.2007 The Women's Tribunal Against Poverty, held in the Indian capital on October 17, was one of many tribunals against poverty in the world. Testimonies highlighted that while the country is growing at phenomenal rates, the most marginalised women are getting further impoverished.

17.10.2007 The award of the Nobel Prize of 2007 spotlights the serious issue of climate change, the need for policy and action around it and of course, IPCC's contribution under the leadership of Rajendra Pachauri. Some observations by Pachauri from the Deccan Herald...

16.10.2007 Irfan Mufti from Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) feels society has to be organised and mobilized to influence policy. The change may not be immediate, but political influence is bound to grow in future.

15.10.2007 The report, People’s Voices on MDGs 2007 highlights key policy areas, common obstacles, as well as MDG progress among countries in the South and Southeast Asia regions from the civil society perspective.

15.10.2007 A WHO led campaign in South and Southeast Asia has called for inclusion of nutrition issues in government programmes on HIV/AIDS. Experts are of the opinion that nutrition can go a long way in treating the disease as well as preventing mother-to-child transmission.