"Gender Didn’t Matter To Me Because It Didn’t Hinder My Growth"
The first time I was asked to attend a workshop on “gender”, I have to admit, the very concept seemed absurd to me. Why would an entire group of people gather to discuss something so inane, so...
View ArticleKhmer Rouge Survivors Talk of Legacy of Rape, Forced Marriage & Torture
"Four months after giving birth, a soldier raped me. That’s partly why I have some issues about sex.” “My community says I’m not a good woman – I didn’t get married traditionally.” “I felt so much pain...
View ArticleMen’s Attitudes & Behavior the Heart of India's Gender Violence Problem
India was rated one of the most dangerous places in the world to be female in a 2011 poll. However, women may have an underestimated yet crucial ally in their fight for equality: men. In a country...
View ArticleUS Should Prioritize Conflict Prevention As Core Foreign Policy Objective
The crises outbreaks in the Central African Republic, South Sudan, and, now Thailand, should call U.S. policy makers to critically reexamine our approach towards proactive conflict prevention. In an...
View ArticleDemand for Black Market Weapons Creates Gun Stock Market in Syria
A glut of small arms in Syria and high weapons prices in neighboring Lebanon, where growing instability supports a thriving black market, have encouraged both Syrian soldiers and rebels to sell their...
View ArticleNew Report Accuses Sri Lanka Govt of Concealing Mass Killings
Government forces were behind most of the alleged war crimes in the final bloody months of Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war and may have systematically destroyed evidence of mass killings, according to a...
View ArticleMore Syrians Dead Since Peace Talks Began Than Any Time in Its Civil War
More Syrians have been killed in the three weeks since peace talks began than at any other time in the civil war, activists said on Wednesday, as troops pounded rebel towns on the Lebanese border and...
View ArticleAfghan Law Will Seriously Curb Prosecutions of Violence Against Women
Afghan women marched in Kabul on Thursday to protest violence against women and decry a new draft law that activists say will severely limit justice for victims of domestic abuse. Afghanistan's...
View ArticlePost-2015 Security Goal Must Be Specific Concrete and Measurable to Work
As the post-2015 process shifts from consultations to negotiations, those involved in shaping the agenda are bracing for the battles that lie ahead. In the area of peace and security, political...
View ArticleKazai Blocks Afghan Law Protecting Perpetrators of Violence Against Women
Amnesty International commended President Hamid Karzai’s decision not to sign the draft Criminal Procedure Code, which would have denied justice to victims of rape, domestic violence and under-aged and...
View ArticleIn Conflict, "One Rape is One Rape Too Many" - UN
Warring factions in conflicts around the world continue to use rape as a weapon of war, often more effectively than guns, to shred societies and destroy lives. It is Zainab Hawa Bangura’s job to disarm...
View ArticleWomen Are More Than Just Victims Of War, They're Part Of The Solution
Women are more likely to experience mass rape and sexual torture in armed conflicts around the world, as a deliberate strategy to humiliate, intimidate and dominate them and their 'enemy' community....
View ArticleNew UN Resolution: Children Deserve Protection, Not Exploitation, in War
The Security Council today unanimously adopted a resolution setting out practical steps to combat violations against children in armed conflict, as United Nations officials underscored the need to do...
View Article'Global Scourge' of Violence Against Women and Girls Must Stop
The motto of this year's Women's Day, "Inspiring Change", underlines the fact that women and girls around the world continue to experience discrimination and violence in their everyday lives. This must...
View ArticleEngaging Men in Gender Equality Can Have Significant Benefits For All
Indonesia’s Domestic Violence Law of 2004 has proven to be a crucial tool in encouraging female victims of abuse to seek help. But while this law has been an important step in addressing violence...
View ArticleViolence a Widespread & Persistent Challenge for India's Women: Report
Women across India have unanimously cited gender-based violence as a widespread and persistent challenge, linking it directly to alcoholism and dowry, according to a new UN Women report “Hearts and...
View Article172m Affected by Conflict in 2012: It's Time to Rethink Development Aid
For the first time the UN has declared three simultaneous crises – in South Sudan, Syria and the Philippines – as level 3, the highest band of emergency. So this is a period of intense activity for...
View ArticleSecond Stabbing Spree in Two Weeks Shocks China
Five people were stabbed to death before the attacker was shot dead by police, in Changsha, Hunan's provincial capital, on Friday, police said. A dispute erupted between two vendors, and one killed the...
View ArticleSix Innovations For Ending Violence Against Girls
On Valentine's day (V-Day) Together for Girls hosted a Twitter chat asking for innovate tactics that can end violence against women and children. The discussion revealed that approaches are evolving...
View ArticleUN Urges SC To Help Shape Effective Peacebuilding Architecture
Inclusivity, institution-building and international/regional support are the three key ingredients to long-lasting post-conflict peace, United Nations officials said this morning as they called on the...
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