Ahmed Fakih, 38, a life skills teacher and Douaa Affarah, 31, a Business Administration student, have been married for seven years and have two children – Juri and Nasser. “Since the day of our engagement we have been fostering a small society built on equality,” explained the couple. Although they live in a conservative society, the couple have worked hard to create a different environment and upbringing for their children, away from gender-discriminatory ideas and norms. Ahmed Fakih enjoys being equally involved in his children’s upbringing. "Marriage is an institution based on cooperation, management and participation between the wife and the husband, including for the father to have a primary role in caring just like the mother. This does not detract from his manhood and would not put him in an inferior position as some might think," Ahmed says.
Child marriage is a human rights violation that often ensnares the most vulnerable, impoverished and marginalized girls. But it is also calamitous for communities and societies, locking child brides and their families in a cycle of poverty lasting generations. Ending child marriage – enabling girls to complete their educations, postpone motherhood, find gainful employment and fulfil their potential – could generate billions of dollars in earnings and productivity, finds. This Valentine’s Day, as in previous years, calls on the world to end and brings your attention to these .
From an FGM survivor to a practitioner to now an advocate working to eliminate the practice in her community, Priscilla Nanagiro is among 60 community activists working with a .
As part of ’s , women in the internally displaced persons camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia, learn about the harmful effects of female genital mutilation (FGM).
Problems always arise when a woman forces her way into a man’s world. Men will wonder “what is she doing here, why doesn’t she cook or sew?” Entrepreneur, Takhmina Bakhronova, broke into the male-dominated taxi business in Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe – introducing innovations that have left her competitors standing. See the full multimedia story on - a platform with first person perspectives on the world of work.
The initiative aims to eliminate the degrading and hazardous practice of manual cleaning of public sewer systems and help the women employed gain financial independence.
Afro-Ecuadorians and Afro-Colombian refugees use traditional arrullo rhythms and song to open a conversation about gender-based violence.
The Youth Leadership School for young people of African descent in the Latin America and Caribbean region seeks to strengthen young people’s technical and entrepreneurial skills. Around the world, people are finding new ways to remove the barriers to fundamental rights. By blending tech solutions with the wisdom and knowledge of UNFPA’s network of partners, these innovations are changing lives, at scale. is partnering with innovators to accelerate progress for women and girls. More in this .
is a human rights violation that takes place every day around the world. shows us how we may better recognize it and seek or offer help.
The Internet can be a hateful, hostile place, particularly for women, girls, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities, who are more likely to have their images abused online. Online misogyny and violence is a widespread human rights violation. This is why is launching bodyright, a brand new “copyright” for the human body. It demands that images of our bodies are given the same respect and protection online as copyright gives to music, film and even corporate logos. Claim your bodyright...and let’s end online violence.
Before COVID-19, a different pandemic was already threatening the lives and well-being of people around the world: violence against women, impacting at least 1 in 3 women and girls. Now, a from UN Women, which brings together survey data collected in 13 countries across all regions, confirms the severity of the problem. Despite its persistent prevalence, violence against women is preventable. UN Women experts offer 5 recommendations for action.
Just as gender-based violence takes on many insidious forms, so does digital gender-based violence: image-based abuse aka non-consensual sharing of intimate images or “revenge porn”, cyberstalking, online harassment, sextortion, online trafficking, doxxing. The perpetrator could be a stranger on another continent or someone next door targeting sexuality against her. Marginalized groups, including people with disabilities and LGBTQI individuals, may be even more vulnerable. presents the stories of survivors during the .
From 25 November to 10 December, the United Nations is marks the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence under the global theme: “!”
As governments, humanitarian actors, and peacebuilders meet at the UN to discuss the women, peace and security agenda, watch this space for news, updates and voices of women peacebuilders.
War, violent conflict, terrorism and violent extremism have different and devastating consequences for women and girls. In the face of these, women all over the world lead movements to prevent conflict, restore peace and rebuild communities. The women, peace and security agenda was formally established in 2000 by a unanimous . This year’s Security Council’s annual open debate on women, peace and security will focus on investing in the contribution of local women to peacekeeping, peacebuilding and transitional settings during and following UN peace operations.