Rights

Women

Proportion of women parliamentarians worldwide reaches ‘all-time high’

New York: The proportion of women parliamentarians worldwide reached more than 25 per cent last year– a historic first but still far from gender parity, UN partner the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) announced on Friday ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March. more

Hopes and fears of mother-to-be in Afghanistan

New York: A mother in Afghanistan has been talking about the hopes and fears for her unborn daughter in a country where the birth of a girl can often be a curse rather than a blessing.&nb ...

Unity, funding and decisive action needed to end FGM and protect millions of girls, UN says

New York: The United Nations has called for collaboration at all levels, and across all sectors of society, to protect millions of girls and women at risk of female genital mutilati ...

Shining a light on sexually exploited women and girls forced into crime

New York: Trafficked and sexually exploited woman and girls can find themselves facing prosecution and conviction for those very same crimes, in some countries, a new UN report shows. The ...

Argentina legalises abortion, becomes first major Latin American country to do so

Buenos Aires: Millions of women in Argentina will be able to opt for abortion legally, after the Catholic-majority country approved a bill to legalise it on Wednesday.

Avert ‘dire consequences’ for women's health, UNFPA urges in appeal to prevent maternal deaths

New York: The UN agency dedicated to improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide (UNFPA) appealed on Monday for $2.5 billion by 2030 to help avert potential “dire consequen ...

First female Lt. Gen. of Afghanistan Suhaila Siddiq dies

Kabul: The first female lieutenant general of Afghanistan died at a hospital in Kabul on Friday.

COVID-19 worsening gender-based violence, trafficking risk, for women and girls

New York: With the COVID-19 pandemic heightening the dangers of gender-based violence and human trafficking, action on these two fronts is needed now more than ever, the head of the UN Of ...

The pandemic is fuelling slavery and sexual exploitation, UN experts warn

New York: The COVID-19 pandemic has played into the hands of slavers and traffickers and requires stronger government measures to prevent exploitation of vulnerable people, more than 50 i ...

Build on momentum to end violence against women and girls: Secretary-General

New York: Although much progress has been made in highlighting the pressing issue of violence against women and girls, UN Secretary-General António Guterres is pushing the world to ...