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Women Make Strides in Algerian Politics
An increase in women's representation in the country's new parliament, following elections, has been hailed as a step towards democratic reform and gender equality.
Full story -
Abortion Legislation Divides Rwandans
(file photo) Health specialists say wider use of contraception, such as the IUD, will reduce abortions. The approval of an abortion law in Rwanda has been met with mixed reactions.
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Nigeria: Policewomen Free to Marry
Nigerian police officers. A Lagos court has declared illegal a law forbidding policewomen to marry without the consent of the commissioner of police.
Full story
Congo-Kinshasa: Where Giving Birth is Deadly
Cindy Shiner/AllAfrica
A woman holds her twins at a clinic in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. A Congolese woman faces a one in 24 lifetime chance of dying from complications of pregnancy or childbirth.
The Real Invisible Children - Girl Soldiers
Pierre Holtz/Unicef
The plight of child soldiers in Africa has grabbed headlines in recent weeks, but what is overlooked by many is how many of those children are girls.
Nigeria: Women Worse Off in Life Than Men
Kate Holt/IRIN
A woman walks to a stream to collect water in Kaduna state. Nigerian women not only occupy fewer positions in the public sector, but earn consistently less income than their male counterparts.
Nigeria: First Female Air Force Pilot
Leadership
Flying Officer Blessing Liman from Kaduna state has made history after being commissioned as Nigeria's first female military pilot.
Ethiopia: Still Too Many Deaths in Childbirth
Stuart Price/UN
Only 10 percent of deliveries take place in health facilities, resulting in high maternal mortality rates. Officials say most Ethiopian women do not see the benefit of giving birth in hospitals and clinics.
Africa: The Venus Hottentot Cake - Reaction
UNAIDS/P.Virot
African women are dismayed that this project, which was supposed to bring awareness of a painful and complex issue, has had the opposite effect.
Population Growth Inhibiting Development
Vanguard
Population growth in Africa's least developed countries is expected to remain high for the rest of the century, hampering growth and poverty reduction.
Rwanda: If it Goes Unreported, Domestic Violence Escalates
Kate Holt/IRIN
Officials in Rwanda say a major obstacle in curbing domestic violence relates to the tendency of some women to keep quiet about abuse they have suffered.
Three Out of Four Kwara Women Shun Family Planning
Manoocher Deghati/IRIN
(file photo): A Nigerian survey shows that more than 75 percent of women in Kwara State do not use modern contraceptives due to wrong perceptions.
Obstetric Fistula - a Double Tragedy
UNMIL
Fistula operation (file photo): The Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2006 estimated that over 200,000 girls and women aged 15 to 49 years in Uganda were affected by obstetric fistula.
Malawi: Who is Joyce Banda?
Geoff Crawford/DFID
Among her many 'identities', Malawi's new president is a gender activist, educationist and politician.
Africa: Lowering HIV Risk for Sex Workers
Siegfried Modola/IRIN
Female sex workers in low- and middle-income countries are nearly 14 times more likely to become infected with HIV than other women in these countries, U.S. scientists say.
Are Maternal Deaths a 'Right to Life' Issue?
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
A mother plays with her young son in Kenya. A woman who conceives a child in sub-Saharan Africa is 45 times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth than a woman in developed countries.
Instability Hinders Maternal Health
Amnesty International/Anna Kari
Political instability and civil strife have obstructed and reversed many maternal health gains in Africa over the past decade.
Political Will Needed to End Gender Violence
ICRC/Nick Danziger
Gender-based violence continues to be one of the foremost concerns in the struggle to achieve gender equality in the Southern African Development Community.
Zimbabwe: Maternal Mortality Funds to Be Disbursed
Elizabeth Glaser/ Pediatric AIDS Foundation
In Zimbabwe a pilot project will disperse fees to clinics in advance in order to provide free maternal health care.
South Sudan: Saving Mothers' Lives One Midwife at a Time
Juba Media Collective
The government of South Sudan estimates that more than 10,000 women die every year giving birth and 76,000 experience severe complications.
Africa: Males Must Be Included in Equality Discussions
Arne Doornebal /RNW
Often branded hazardous or hopeless, boys and men are part of the development equation and can help tackle gender equality.
Rwanda: Local Women Gaining From Fish Farming
Julius Mwelu/IRIN
A woman displays her fish (file photo): In Rwanda there are more women involved in fish farming than there are men.
David Njagi
A group of Maasai youth and elders gather early one morning before a meeting about reproductive health begins in Magadi, Kenya.
The repeated hooting of the Ostrich bus announces the break of dawn in Nguruman, a pastoralist village about 150 kilometers south of Nairobi near the Tanzania border. It also stirs Kipaa Ole Kitesho from sleep to answer the call of a new day.
On any other morning, Kitesho, 24, would be rounding up his livestock from their shed to prepare for another trek through thorny thickets in search of pasture to feed on.
But today, Kitesho's younger brother must ensure the flock is fed. That's because Kitesho has been invited to a meeting where he'll learn the importance of caring for his family by supporting better maternal health.
InFocus: Women and Gender
A Lagos Court has declared illegal, a law forbidding policewomen to marry without the consent of the commissioner of police. Read more »
An increase in women's representation in the country's new parliament, following elections, has been hailed as a step towards democratic reform and gender equality. Read more »
Top Headlines
- Zambia: While Men Go Drinking, Women Go Fishing (IPS)
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- Rwanda: Akilah Institute Unlocks Job Opportunities for Women (Focus)
- Nigeria: Most Young Women Okay With Violence Against Women - Reports (Daily Trust)
- Liberia: 59 Sande Prostitute Camps, 251 Ghettos Established (New Democrat)
- Kenya: Cheruiyot to Lead Women 10000m London Trial (Capital FM)
- Zambia: She-Polopolo Coach Unveils Team (Times of Zambia)
- Zimbabwe: Women's Football Super League Set for Kick Off (The Herald)
- South Africa: Rape Suspect At New Brighton High School - Government Must Intervene (DA)
- Kenya: Ladies XI Run Over Hosts Rift Valley Development (The Star)
- Kenya: Viv Top of List (The Star)
- Ghana: Miss World Confers With Benyiwa Doe (Ghanaian Chronicle)
- Tanzania: Twiga Blame Defence Gaps (Daily News)
- Liberia: Secret Govt. Plan (New Democrat)
- Angola: Luis Damiao to Show 'Mulher Do Dia-a-Dia' (ANGOP)
- Rwanda: For Women's Empowerment, Perceptions Must Change (Focus)
- Namibia: Two Women Collapse and Die (New Era)
- Eritrea: Nuew Members in Italy Express Resolve to Back Up National Development Drive (Shabait)
- Kenya: Mogotio School Gives Second Chance to Girls (The Star)
- Zimbabwe: Give Women Entrepreneurs a Chance (The Herald)
- Namibia: Women Are Doing It for Themselves (New Era)
- Nigeria: Isn't It Time to Change the Game? (Leadership)
- Nigeria: Tukur Challenges Women (This Day)
- Angola: Calls for Govt to Investigate Abuse of Congolese Migrants (IPS)
- South Africa: Vinegar Test Can Help Identify Cervical Cancer (Health-e)
- Africa: African and European Experts Agree to Further Protect the Rights of Female Migrants and Domestic Workers (Africa & Europe in Partnership)
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