At a time when women were already banned from attending schools and universities, Radio Femme has played a crucial role in providing alternative methods of education. It offers a rare platform for women and girls to learn and continue their studies, with eight teachers delivering lessons in subjects ranging...
Alongside senior officials from the UN community, they commemorated the International Day of the Girl Child through declarations, dialogue and a show of solidarity for their peers in Afghanistan and elsewhere, whose voices have been silenced. Nafisa from Ghana, 16, spoke up for girls “whose dreams are shaken by crisis”,...
Now 18, she’s involved in aerospace projects with other young women through the Shakthi SAT initiative and she’s keen to explore the intersection between computer engineering and science, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous robotics and embedded systems that control satellites, drones and rockets. “I’m learning things I once only dreamed...
“While the major aftershocks have passed, or have mostly passed, women in affected areas are facing a long-term disaster without more urgent assistance,” said Susan Ferguson, UN Women Special Representative in Afghanistan. One woman rescuer supported by the UN agency described “scrambling” along the sides of mountains, “dodging falling rocks...
Four years after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, the scale and severity of the women’s rights crisis continues to intensify. Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are prohibited to attend secondary school. Yet, in a nationwide door-to-door survey of over 2,000 Afghans, more than nine...
It recognises their immense contributions to society, but also acknowledges the challenges they face due to the double burden of racism and sexism. Although woman and girls of African descent embody strength, resilience and untapped potential, they remain among the most marginalised groups globally due to the intersection of racial,...
Every dollar invested in girls’ education yields an average return of $2.80 – translating into billions in additional GDP. Similarly, each dollar spent on water and sanitation saves $4.30 in healthcare costs. Simple math, not miracles These aren’t miracles – they’re measurable outcomes. Maths doesn’t recognize gender or infrastructure; it...
Globally, 1.8 billion people menstruate, yet for many, especially in crises zones, it’s far more than an inconvenience. In war-torn Gaza, around 700,000 women and girls of menstruating age, including thousands experiencing their first period, face this challenge under relentless bombardment and in cramped, unsanitary conditions with little privacy. A human rights...
It is nearly two years since the brutal war between the forces of the military government in Khartoum and the Rapid Support Forces militia erupted, sparking one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Human rights abuses have been committed on both sides and more than 30.4 million Sudanese require urgent...
As emergency aid trickles in, women and girls who were already vulnerable due to years of conflict, displacement and economic instability, now face even greater risks from gender-based violence and exploitation, according to a UN-led coalition responding to the crisis. “Girls are particularly vulnerable, especially when separated from their families...
UN data reveals that reports of conflict-related sexual violence increased shockingly by 50 per cent last year compared to 2023, and women and girls accounted for 95 per cent of verified cases. These numbers, however, “represent a small fraction of the reality” as many cases go unreported, the agency warned....
The President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSCOC), Bob Rae hosted the meeting. “The importance of insisting on completely equal rights of women and young girls is an official commitment of the United Nations, but it is also a personal commitment for which we must wage a combat,” he...
