December 14, 2022
Nigeria: Forced Mass Abortions Are a New and Disturbing Phenomenon in Nigeria
Nigeria classifies abortion as illegal except under certain medical circumstances. A recent investigation by Reuters news agency has alleged that, since 2013, the Nigerian military… Read more »
December 05, 2022
Nigeria: Why Women Sometimes Stay With Abusers - Insights From a Nigerian Study
Domestic violence is a public health problem in most parts of the world. A 2021 United Nations report showed that one in three women aged 15-49 years in sub-Saharan Africa had… Read more »
November 30, 2022
South Africa: Covid Affected Access to HIV Treatment - the Stories of Migrant Women in South Africa Show How
South Africa has made massive strides in the fight against HIV. One of the country's flagship interventions has been the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV.… Read more »
November 29, 2022
South Africa: Violence Against Women Is Staggeringly High - A Different Way of Thinking About It Is Needed
South Africa has notoriously high levels of violence against women. The latest police figures show that 10,818 rape cases were reported in the first quarter of 2022. The country… Read more »
November 21, 2022
Africa: Monkeypox - Latest Data Reveals How the Virus Has Affected Women and Non-Binary People
Since May 2022, a global outbreak of human monkeypox infections has been reported in over 78,000 people. So far, infections have overwhelmingly occurred in sexually active men who… Read more »
South Africa: 16 Days of Activism - How South Africa's TV News Gets It Wrong
South Africa is a country that experiences a very high level of gender-based violence. During the UN's annual international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence… Read more »
November 09, 2022
West Africa: Digital Activism - Study Shows the Internet Has Helped Women in Urban Ghana and Nigeria Raise Their Voices
Information technology and the internet have proven to be a strong force for building collective action groups and mobilising communities of protesters. Among the main advantages… Read more »
October 31, 2022
Egypt: Podcasting in Egypt - How Feminist Activism Has Emerged Through Shared Stories
After more than a decade of teaching audio production to my college students in Cairo, it finally dawned on me that podcasts themselves can serve as teaching tools that highlight… Read more »
October 26, 2022
South Africa: Legal Sex Work in South Africa Won't Create New Problems, Just Help Solve Old Ones
South Africa's post apartheid government has been toying with the idea of decriminalising sex work for almost two decades. But it has hesitated to act with the necessary courage to… Read more »
October 23, 2022
Uganda: Ebola in Uganda - Why Women Must Be Central to the Response
"No time for that" was the constant refrain heard by gender and women's health experts working in the 2014/16 Ebola response. This was an emergency and the main thing was to deal… Read more »
October 20, 2022
Africa: Breast Cancer - Five Tips From an Expert On Catching It Early and Keeping Safe
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the world. Every year it claims more than 650,000 lives. Read more »
October 07, 2022
Africa: Hijab Rules Have Nothing to Do With Islamic Tenets and Everything to Do With Repressing Women
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was held by Iran's morality police for not complying with the country's hijab rules has drawn global attention to the repression of… Read more »
October 05, 2022
Africa: Women in Antarctica Face Assault and Harassment - and a Legacy of Exclusion and Mistreatment
A federal report that, in the words of its key finding, "sexual assault, sexual harassment, and stalking are problems in the U.S. Antarctic Program community" - and that efforts… Read more »
October 06, 2022
South Africa: Zulu Monarchy - How Royal Women Have Asserted Their Agency and Power Throughout History
The passing away of South Africa's Zulu king Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu in March 2021 refocused attention on the role of royal women in Zulu leadership. After the official mourning… Read more »
October 05, 2022
Benin: Woman King Is Worth Watching - but Be Aware That Its Take On History Is Problematic
The Hollywood movie The Woman King, released in mid-September, became an immediate box-office success. The triumphs of the Agoodjies, the women warriors of the ancient Kingdom of… Read more »
September 28, 2022
Nigeria: Abortion Pills Are Being Widely Used in Nigeria - Women and Suppliers Talk About Their Experiences
Unintended pregnancy is common among women of reproductive age in Nigeria and a substantial number end in abortion. Annually between 2015 and 2019, almost three million pregnancies… Read more »
September 27, 2022
Africa: Abortion in Kenya and Benin - Women and Girls Need to Feel Safe Socially and Medically
Safe abortion and post abortion care are essential health services. But until the publication of the 2022 World Health Organization (WHO) abortion care guidelines there was a… Read more »
September 21, 2022
South Africa: 12% Percent of Working Women Are Domestic Workers - Yet They Don't Receive Proper Maternity Leave or Pay
Most of the world's domestic workers - (76%) - are women. They mainly do housework like cleaning, washing clothes, cooking and childcare, usually in private households. Domestic… Read more »
September 15, 2022
Benin: The Woman King Is More Than an Action Movie - It Shines a Light On the Women Warriors of Benin
The Woman King is a big-budget Hollywood movie that has been anticipated since 2018, when US star Viola Davis was announced as the lead in the story of the "amazons" of Dahomey.… Read more »
September 11, 2022
Nigeria: Ovarian Condition That Can Cause Missed Menstrual Periods and Infertility Is Going Undetected
Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common gynaecological endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. It affects between 4% and 20% of women globally and is influenced by… Read more »
September 08, 2022
West Africa: West Africa's Fisher Women Are Experts At Coping With Job Insecurity
All along West Africa's coastline, women play a vital role in the fisheries sector as processors, traders and distributors. Read more »
September 05, 2022
Africa: Antarctic Stations Are Plagued By Sexual Harassment - It's Time for Things to Change
In October 2017, Antarctic science had its own #MeToo moment. Science magazine published a piece on allegations of abuse of female geoscientists in Antarctica - the most remote… Read more »
September 01, 2022
Africa: Four Lessons From Serena Williams for Sportswomen in Africa
US icon Serena Williams, considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, is retiring from professional tennis. Williams has won 23 grand slam singles titles, more than… Read more »
August 28, 2022
South Africa: Want to Get More Women to Start Their Own Businesses? Here's What It Takes
Globally, men are twice as likely as women to start a business. Most research into how to start a business has been focused on men. Not much has looked at why women are not fully… Read more »
August 25, 2022
South Africa: Women Refugees Fleeing Violence Seek Safety in South Africa - But They Don't Find It
When I ran away from home there was no safety, and when I came to South Africa there is no safety; it's also happening here. Read more »