18 August 2020 - NPWJ News Digest on FGM & Women's Rights

Articles

“We have been transforming lives. We have been agents of change.”
UN Women , 17 Aug 2020

Around the world, women play critical roles as first responders and leaders when humanitarian crisis occurs. They change and save lives in the hardest to reach places. Yet, their work is consistently under-funded and often unrecognized. As COVID-19 continues to ravage communities, the need to support women and women’s organizations in humanitarian action has become urgent. Through participatory videos, women in Bangladesh, Colombia, Jordan and Uganda share their perspectives.

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Empowering Girls and Women to Lead Change Annual Report 2019
United Nations Population Fund, 17 Aug 2020

As the largest global programme addressing female genital mutilation, the UNFPA–UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation: Accelerating Change targets the most vulnerable and marginalized girls and women, who face multiple and intersecting factors that increase their risk of undergoing this harmful practice. The 2019 Annual Report shows the many ways that the Joint Programme is empowering girls and women to lead change. Creating an enabling environment through policies and legislation, providing access to an essential package of services, and shifting social and gender norms through community-driven efforts are critical in accelerating the elimination of female genital mutilation
 

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Setting the agenda: Girls platform for action
ReliefWeb, 12 Aug 2020

A total of 1147 girls were consulted by Plan International, and 350 of those, aged 14 to 19, from 12 countries, took part in qualitative interviews. These formed the basis of the Girls’ Platform for Action research. An overwhelming 73% of girls identified violence and abuse experienced by them because of their gender as their top concern with those in rural areas hardest hit. The girls said the situation was worsening under COVID-19, with lockdown trapping girls in domestic violence and allowing perpetrators to avoid justice.ce.
 

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Outcry Grows as Somalia's Parliament Considers Bill Allowing Child Marriage
Time, 12 Aug 2020

(JOHANNESBURG) — An outcry is rising in Somalia as parliament considers a bill that would allow child marriage once a girl’s sexual organs mature and would allow forced marriage as long as the family gives their consent.The bill is a dramatic reworking of years of efforts by civil society to bring forward a proposed law to give more protections to women in one of the world’s most conservative countries.
 

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