UN – United Nations

By Lyric Thompson, Director of Policy and Advocacy, International Center for Research on Women When I witnessed the first #MeToo postings on my social media accounts, I have to admit it: I was irritated. Irritated at the prospect of another #Hashtag campaign that wouldn’t actually change the status quo. Outraged on behalf of survivors who would be expected to dredge up painful testimonies of discrimination or outright violence, with no assurance of quantifiable change, no […]

Every day, a grim statistic haunts the lives of women and girls around the world: More than one in three women will be physically or sexually abused in her lifetime, usually at the hands of an intimate partner. This statistic is intertwined with another: One in four women of reproductive age who wish to avoid pregnancy have an unmet need for modern contraception. Changing these statistics is key to improving the lives of women and

Over the past five years, Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) has pioneered a country-led, globally-backed development partnership that will help us reach millions of women and girls with the services and information they need to control if, when, and how often they have children. FP2020: The Way Ahead – the fifth of FP2020’s annual progress reports since its inception – is the story of our partnership, a partnership that is growing, vibrant, and unique. FP2020 is a country-led movement to

By 23, Amanda Banura of Uganda has overcome more than many people do in a lifetime. At a young age, Amanda was raped by her father’s friend. “The first time, I didn’t know [what was happening],” she said. “This guy came and found me sleeping. He just took off my bedsheet and started touching me.…Then he told me, ‘If you talk, I’m going to beat you up. And if you tell your father, I’ll kill

By Anita Shankar, Associate Scientist, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health; Naira Kalra, PhD Candidate, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health; Maryse Labriet, Director, Eneris Environment Energy Consultants; and Luis Garcia, Program Manager, Plan International Spain Violence, armed conflict, and natural disasters have displaced more than 65 million individuals worldwide from their homes. For the individuals living in post-conflict settings, even the most basic aspects of daily living, like cooking, can

By Jude Thaddues Njikem, Executive Director, Community Centre for Integrated Development and Director, Center for Sustainable Development at Saint Monica University The movement for the empowerment and autonomy of women in Cameroon, and the improvement of their political, social, economic, and health status, has walked a long distance, but is still far from reaching its intended destination. Cameroon has made key strides toward gender equality and women’s empowerment through major international commitments, including the Convention

By Victoria Dinges, Senior Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, Allstate Insurance Company Lately it seems like every day brings a new allegation of abusive or inappropriate behavior toward women. This is a watershed moment: For the first time in recent memory, our society is saying, “I believe you.” That’s incredibly powerful. We’re acknowledging the issue of abuse like never before. Still, I challenge us to do more. We must recognize that there are women – likely

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” reads Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. December 10, Human Rights Day, kicks off a year-long campaign to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 2018. Here are six facts you may not know about this groundbreaking declaration 1. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a milestone document in history; the United Nations notes that

By Gary Barker, President and CEO, Promundo These past weeks, I have found myself waking up each day going online to see which powerful man, which celebrity or politician or corporate leader, has fallen today. It feels like we may be –at least in some parts of the world – reaching a tipping point, a point at which men know they can’t get away with it. That there are consequences that will be faced for