UN Gender Focus

Violence against women, the worldwide scourge

An estimated 246 million girls and boys worldwide are subject to school-related violence every year, according to latest figures from UN Women and the UN Educational, and Cultural Organization, UNESCO.

The forms of violence children experience range from classroom bullying through to sexual violence and exploitation.

According to UN Women Knowledge Management Specialist, Philippe Lust-Bianchi, school teachers and staff are sometimes among the perpetrators.

HIV-positive women face more discrimination than men

HIV-positive women face more discrimination than men with HIV according to a young activist from India. Lalchhuanzuali was at the UN to talk about the problems facing young people with HIV, especially in accessing vital services. She represents Youth LEAD, an NGO which works with people up to the age of 27 who are considered to be at high risk of catching the virus. She’s been talking to Daniel Dickinson.

Change STEM education to benefit women: NASA official

Promoting gender equality must consider local culture, religion and realities in a particular country, even though at times the local realities may not comply to international human rights standards.

That's according to Monjurul Kabir, UN Women’s Senior Programme Advisor and Global Lead on South-South and Triangular Cooperation, a broad framework of collaboration between countries in the southern hemisphere.

“Robust” funding is critical to ending violence against women and girls, the UN agency for gender equality & women's empowerment, UN Women, has urged.

On Monday, the agency launched a global campaign led by civil society organizations under the name “Orange the World”.

For the next 16 days until 10 December, a host of public events will draw attention to this pandemic that impacts one in three women worldwide.

Libyan women hampered by lack of midwives and gender-based violence

Estimated 1.7 percent of new-born babies are intersex: UN campaign

Being a woman, human rights defender in Pakistan is “risky”

Being a woman and a human rights defender in Pakistan is “risky” a young activist who founded a non-profit called “Aware Girls” with her sister when she was just fifteen.

Saba Ismail grew up in the conservative Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan before “violent religious extremism” became an international buzzword.

She grew up in an environment where martyrs were celebrated as heroes and people believed in using violence to defend their religion.