Featured Stories
AFRICA
As elections approach, school kids act out against violence in Kenya 
On the eve of Kenya’s Presidential elections on 4 March, schools and communities are raising awareness to prevent both electoral and domestic violence. Using theatre, art and an essay-writing competition, kids are tackling how to identify and report incidents of violence. Read more »
In the words of Chi Yvonne Leina: How I stopped grandma from ironing my budding breasts
Cameroonian journalist and women’s rights advocate Chi Yvonne Leina is founder and coordinator of Gender Danger, a grassroots organization that is fighting to end the practice of breast ironing in Cameroon. Her first-hand account is part of UN Women’s new “In the Words of…” series. Read more »
In Tanzania, a caravan of activists confront female genital mutilation and violence against women
On the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, we feature the efforts of Tanzanian activists who travelled by bus across the country, giving workshops, performances and urging people to raise awareness around violence against women and harmful traditional practices. Read more »
Malian women make their voices heard: emergency aid, participation in the peace process, and justice for all
As UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet attends the African Union Summit, we hear from the displaced women in Mali, who met with Ms. Bachelet during her 9 January visit to the war-torn country. Read more »
“Ride on! Speak Out!”: Nine countries, 15 bikers, one issue – ending violence against women
A group of motorcycle buffs joined forces with Harley-Davidson Johannesburg and UN Women in a novel initiative to raise awareness about violence against women and girls. Over 16 days, they rode 8,200 km, across Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho. Read more »
Helping rape survivors in Mali to speak up
UN Women is supporting survivors of sexual violence in Mali, and along with two local NGOs has set up a gender-based violence unit in a major hospital to provide medical and psycho-social support to rape survivors. Read more »
Escaping the scourge of female genital mutilation in Tanzania: a Maasai girls’ school provides scholarships for those at risk
At a school near the town of Arusha, 86 girls –many of whom would otherwise have been married or subjected to FGM– have been given scholarships with full board to ensure they complete a minimum level of education. Read more »
AMERICAS
Aty Cuña: Indigenous women’s assemblies tackling cases of violence and rights violations
On the Brazil-Paraguay border, women leaders of the indigenous Guarani-Kaiowa and Ayoreo communities are organizing themselves to protect their rights and their dynamic women’s assemblies are preventing and documenting violence against women cases. Read more »
Training ‘salmon’ in El Salvador: police units assist women in situations of violence
Under the new law against gender-based violence in El Salvador, a Specialized Institutional Unit to assist women in situations of violence has been created within the National Civil Police. Its members have earned the nickname of “salmon” since they go against the current. Read more »
Activists fight for the rights of HIV-positive women living in Peru
After contracting HIV and losing her son to the disease, Guiselly Flores became an activist. Director of the Peruvian Network of Women Living with HIV (RPM+), over the last 15 years she has demonstrated unflinching commitment to the rights of HIV-positive women. Read more »
In Dominica, a violence-prevention programme helps boys overcome gender stereotypes
A Community Intervention Programme piloted on two Caribbean islands is breaking through traditional stereotypes around gender while teaching boys about self-restraint and how to nurture healthy relationships. Read more »
Young Colombian men propose T-shirt designs as a way of saying no to violence against women
A heart made of band-aids tops the caption “Violence against women is not in my vocabulary.” The winner of a T-shirt design competition will be worn by local and national leaders in a massive cycleathon in cities across Colombia on 25 November. Read more»
ARAB STATES
From play-acting to real-life action: a journey to end harassment on public transit in Egypt
Rush hour subway and bus commuters watch sexual harassment scenarios acted out by theatre youth groups as part of a transit campaign by UN Women’s Safe Cities programme in Cairo. They urge commuters to break their passivity and act to prevent violence against women. Read more »
In Palestine, a Centre offers shelter and changes lives for survivors of violence
At the Mehwar Centre, survivors are healing their wounds, rebuilding their self-esteem and getting an education so that they can transform their lives. Read more »
Through film and life, rural women address poverty and early marriage in Egypt
An innovative workshop explores ways for rural women how to tell their own stories about their participation in agriculture and barriers to their development in Upper Egypt.
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Palestinian hip hop group DAM raises awareness of ‘honour killings’ through a powerful music video
Supported and funded by UN Women, this state-of-the-art production aimed at raising awareness and mobilizing Arab youth against violence was launched globally this month.
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ASIA/PACIFIC
In Viet Nam, a new study reveals domestic violence costs 1.78 per cent of GDP
In efforts to address violence against women, a new study by UN Women Viet Nam calculates the economic cost of domestic violence, on household income and the economy. It also estimates that the earnings of women who experience domestic violence may be 35 per cent less than others. Read more »
Women’s collectives foster access to justice in India
Through special women’s courts and justice committees, women in eastern India have forged an increasingly respected system to access justice, which also addresses cases of violence against women. They resolve disputes through formal and informal channels, provide emotional support and counselling. Read more »
Burns Violence Survivors rebuild their lives in Nepal
In a country where an estimated 50 per cent of suicide cases follow burns violence, an NGO supported by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women is helping survivors of burn attacks access treatment, counseling and legal aid they need. Read more »
UN Women supported survey in Delhi shows 95 per cent of women and girls feel unsafe in public spaces
Even before the widely publicized gang rape of a 23-year-old woman in India’s capital New Delhi, a UN Women survey reveals astounding levels of insecurity among women and a surprising number of men admitting to having engaged in sexual assault. Read more »
Abolishing Sang Chatti: Pakistan works to prevent compensation marriage and other forms of violence against women
As Pakistan prepares for review by the CEDAW Committee of its fourth periodic on 12 February, we take a look at what has been done to crack down on Jirgas and implement other CEDAW recommendations related to ending violence against women.
Read more»
Confronting dowry-related violence in India: Women at the centre of justice
After being attacked with a knife by in-laws, Shehnaz Bano filed a case under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act – a move that allowed her to escape the spiral of abuse and likely saved her life. Read more »
Indigenous women leaders in Southeast Asia unite against development-based violence
Indigenous women from eight countries across Southeast Asia find common ground during a consultation on violence against indigenous women that is worsened or caused by economic development projects. Read more »
Breaking the vicious circle of violence in local markets in Papua New Guinea
Two years after UN Women’s Safe City Port Moresby programme first began documenting gender-based violence in six markets, by-laws have been changed and the first signs of improvement are showing for women vendors. Read more »
EUROPE/CIS
Tajikistan moves towards a law to prevent domestic violence
After more than 10 years of advocacy and legislative wrangling, on 19 December, 2012 Tajikistan’s Lower House of Parliament approved a bill to provide protection for survivors and prevent domestic violence. The Upper House is expected to pass it into law in the coming months. Read more »
Better services for survivors of domestic violence in Kosovan municipalities
Three municipalities in Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244) are implementing a joint UN programme to better respond to domestic violence by coordinating municipal authorities, women’s organizations and front-line service providers such as police, the judiciary, social services and hospitals. Read more »
Dublin joins the UN Global Safe Cities Initiative 
As local decision-makers gather in Dublin for the 8th Biennial Forum of the World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty (WACAP), UN Women speaks with Lord Mayor of the City of Dublin, Mr. Naoise Ó Muirí, about why his is the first city in a developed country to join the UN Global Safe Cities Initiative. Read more »
New law in Kyrgyzstan toughens penalties for bride kidnapping
In a country where an estimated 11,800 girls and young women are kidnapped every year to wed against their will, the President of Kyrgyzstan approved legislation on 26 January to increase the sentence for bride-kidnapping to 10 years in prison. Read more »
Protecting witnesses of wartime rape in Bosnia and Herzegovina
UN Women is working with partners to monitor wartime rape trials, document the treatment of witnesses by judges and prosecutors, and provide training and technical support to improve prosecutions in a country with as many as 40,000 survivors of sexual violence. Read more »
GLOBAL
A call for women: companies join efforts to end violence and empower women
Assisting acid attack survivors in Bangladesh and incorporating mass communications to combat violence against women in Turkey, we profile two of the more than 500 companies around the world that have signed the Women’s Empowerment Principles. On 6 March, some will receive leadership awards. Read more »
Breaking the silence: Survivors tell how they used their experience to enact change
Five women survivors of violence detail their successful struggles for policy and legislative reforms in their countries at a panel for survivors at the Stakeholders’ Forum on Preventing and Eliminating Violence against Women, organized by UN Women in New York. Read more »
Setting the scene of sexual violence in armed conflict: using audio-visual tools to train UN peacekeepers to respond
A new scenario-based training programme by UN Women and the DPKO is teaching troops and officers to better understand, prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence.
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