Exploring how crisis and conflict affect women and girls.
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EmpowerVan, the brainchild of a group of German feminists, is a new initiative to support female refugees. Claudia Bollwinkel explains how the mobile unit creates a safe space for them.
Just under 600 asylum seekers are being held at Australia’s detention center on the Pacific island of Nauru. After repeated reports of sexual violence and abuse at the center, two activists spent months compiling evidence through text messages, phone calls and meetings.
As conflict rages in Burundi, reports are mounting of women being raped as punishment for their political affiliations. Women & Girls Hub spoke with women who had fled to refugee camps in Tanzania, many left with nothing but the memory of their ordeal.
Syrian women living in the government-controlled province of Latakia must decide between love and danger if they are to marry the men of their choosing – especially if those men live in opposition-held areas of Syria.
During the war that tore apart the Balkan state, many people were victims of sexual assault. Siobhan Hobbs of U.N. Women discusses working with the government to help the survivors find redress for their ordeal.
Africa’s most populated country is facing environmental challenges that threaten to only get worse. But a new generation of activists and social entrepreneurs are helping Nigerians take steps toward a low-carbon, pollution-free future.
Last year’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake destroyed 600,000 homes in Nepal, leaving many families homeless. The disaster had the biggest impact on women like Lari Tamang, who now have to care for their families in hastily built, temporary one-room tin shacks.
According to women’s rights groups, the conflict in east Ukraine has triggered a rise in gender-based violence. In a country where sexual abuse is rarely reported, the Facebook campaign #Iamnotscaredtospeak gives silent victims a voice.
Boko Haram’s insurgency in Nigeria has killed over 20,000 people and displaced 2.5 million. Some humanitarian organizations are helping women affected by the violence get back on their feet financially, but the psychosocial support they need is much harder to provide.
One month into her hunger strike, jailed Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi has gained an army of supporters – at home and abroad – on social media, increasing pressure on authorities to stop the mistreatment of inmates in Tehran’s Evin Prison.
Sherry Rehman President, Jinnah Institute
The murder of social media star Qandeel Baloch has reignited debate in Pakistan over the punishment for so-called “honor” killings. A new law is a step in the right direction, but only the first step, writes Pakistani senator Sherry Rehman.
Sexual violence against girls and young women is a common and widely accepted part of life in Malawi. With its self-defense classes for schoolchildren, the charity Ujamaa gives girls the confidence to say no – and the skills to back it up.
After a wiretapping scandal triggered demonstrations across Macedonia, two women began throwing paint-filled balloons at government buildings and national monuments. Now Macedonians of all ethnicities are embracing their multicolored method of protest.
In Turkey, it’s illegal for a man to take on multiple wives, but activists say the influx of Syrian refugees is fueling a rise in the practice – and the government is turning a blind eye to the problem.
An estimated 4,500 Westerners have joined ISIS so far – leaving behind devastated parents who never saw the signs of radicalization. One Canadian mother tells her story, and calls for more support for families who have lost their children to terror groups.
To mark World Population Day, we take a look at the young Syrian boys and girls in Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp who, like their peers in Lebanon, are on a mission to cut the number of early marriages rife among their friends. Pictures and text supplied by UNFPA.
Almost 23 percent of adolescent girls registered as Syrian refugees in Lebanon were married before they turned 18. With the help of UNFPA and aid organization INTERSOS, some young Syrian refugees are spreading the word about the dangers of marrying too young.
For many couples in the developed world, the only route to having a baby is international surrogacy. But the rapid rise of the industry in Cambodia has raised concerns about the welfare of women.
Motivated by a desire to rebuild Syria’s devastated economy, enterprising young women in the war-torn country are turning to tech to help others of their generation find employment – and better futures.
Gripped by a conflict that has devastated its healthcare system, South Sudan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates on earth. Two doctors share their stories of struggling to save women and their babies in the world’s newest nation.
The trafficking of young women is on the rise in India, but poor documentation, corruption and discrimination mean the crime is largely ignored.
For many of the mothers, wives, daughters and other relatives searching for those who disappear in conflict and crisis, life is on hold. The International Committee of the Red Cross helps them look for their loved ones and begin to move on, even as they wait.
Rights activists say the religious councils work as a parallel legal system that discriminates against women. But supporters say they simply offer guidance on Islamic law and often help women escape abusive marriages.
Tracy Ndovi Member of Survivors Speak OUT
Ahead of the U.N.’s International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on June 26, Tracy Ndovi from Survivors Speak OUT says more should be done to support the survivors forced to make desperate journeys to safety.
During times of conflict, access to reproductive healthcare can mean the difference between life and death for a woman. With medical equipment and social support, UNFPA Yemen helps women and children stay safe amid the country’s civil war.
In Afghanistan, media coverage of women’s issues is often left to foreigners and men. But a new journalism program is giving Afghan women the skills and connections to tell their own stories to the world.
Sarah Brown President of Theirworld
For countries taking in Syrian refugees, aid focuses on food, shelter and healthcare. But to ensure a better future for Syria, children’s education should also be a priority, says Theirworld president Sarah Brown.
When her family fled Syria, Muzoon Almellehan worried she would never get to finish her schooling. Now living in the U.K., and preparing for her final exams, she has become a campaigner for the right of all refugee children to go to school.
Adolescent girls who have fled Syria find continued risks in refugee camps: early marriage, abuse and lack of education. Photographer David Brunetti turns his lens on their diverse lives – and how they are finding renewed hope in camps where UNFPA provides support.
When Ji-hyun Park fled North Korea for China, she was forced into marriage, separated from her child and imprisoned in a labor camp. Today, she uses her story to raise awareness of human rights abuses back home.
Women’s safety is a hot-button issue in India, and some see technology as part of the answer. Kalpana Viswanath, co-founder of the Safetipin app, hopes women themselves will provide the information that keeps them safe.
Aqsa Mahmood grew up in Scotland, but left behind her ordinary life to become a recruiter for the so-called Islamic State. Western women continue to leave home to join the violent group – and Mahmood’s journey may provide insight.
The young women inside Brazil’s Occupy High School movement, which is demanding resources for failing state schools, say the country’s growing feminist movement made it possible for them to take a leading role in the protests.
Last year, 39 million girls were out of school because of conflict and crises – and they are 2.5 times more likely than boys to drop out. Campaigners say they need special assistance from a new $4bn fund, Education Cannot Wait.
Because women are frequently responsible for collecting water, tending crops and feeding their families, they are often the hardest hit by natural disasters. In Fiji, the recent devastating cyclone season had serious consequences for many women on the island.
Dr. Sakena Yacoobi has been responsible for the education of tens of thousands of girls and women in Afghanistan and Pakistan, despite repeated threats. She tells Women and Girls Hub how she has kept her learning centers running during two decades of war.
Giorgos Kosmopoulos Researcher on Refugee and Migrant Rights, Amnesty International
Amnesty International’s Giorgos Kosmopoulos highlights the risks that lone refugee women in transit camps on Greek islands face in the absence of protection – a basic tenet of international humanitarian law.
U.N. Women estimates that one in 10 of the nation’s women are victims of violence each year. Cape Town’s Sonke organization is tackling the issue by turning men into better husbands and fathers.
In the concluding part of our series on female refugees, we explore the challenges of identifying abuse and exploitation of lone women on the move – who are highly susceptible to sex trafficking and sometimes coerced into “transactional sex” to pay their way forward.
In the second installment of a three-part series, we visit women struggling to find shelter and make a living – two key problems the Women’s Refugee Commission cites as driving gender-based violence against urban refugees, especially in countries neighboring Syria.
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