Global perspective Human stories

UN Gender Focus: violence against children, child brides and disarmament

UN Gender Focus: violence against children, child brides and disarmament

Download

Bid to end violence “that affects one billion children per year”

An ambitious strategy to end violence against children has been unveiled by UN health experts. It was launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) which says a new global approach is needed as around one billion children every year are affected. Despite the alarming data, WHO says that many cases of violence are “hidden, unseen or under-reported.” Daniel Johnson reports from Geneva.

Sonita Alizadeh. (Screen grab from World Bank video)

Afghan teen raps against child ‘Brides for Sale’

An Afghan teenager is using rap music to advocate for an end to child marriage. Sonita Alizadeh, 19, has released a music video called ‘Brides for Sale’ which highlights the ordeal of young girls forced into marriage by their families. The issue is personal for Sonita as her own mother had attempted to sell her to a potential husband: first when she was only 10 years old and then again when she was 16. Sonita now attends music school in the United States and hopes to become a women’s rights lawyer. Ozong Agborsangaya-Fiteu interviewed Sonita when she was at the World Bank in Washington, DC, to take part in a forum on fragility, conflict and violence.

The "Non-Violence" (or "Knotted Gun") sculpture by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd on display at the UN Visitors' Plaza. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

Disarmament and non-proliferation are not “just for men”

Disarmament and non-proliferation issues are not “just for men,” women participants at a recent UN peace forum in Austria have learned. They are relevant just as much today as they were during the Cold War era, according to Juliette Kohler of the UN Office on Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). The “Women Higher Education for Peace” event was the first of its kind, and offered a platform for women to meet experts in the field and to network. It’s also part of a wider initiative called “Women Scholarship for Peace” which provides training courses for women from the Global South. Ms Kohler spoke to Jocelyne Sambira on the line from Vienna.

Presenter: Dianne Penn

Production Assistant: Sandra Guy

Duration: 10'00″

Audio Duration
10'
Photo Credit
UN News Centre