Tag: UNFPA

World will miss target of ending FGM by 2030 without urgent action – including from men and boys

Stuart Mitchell

“This year, 4.3 million girls are at risk of female genital mutilation, according to the latest UNFPA estimates. This number is projected to reach 4.6 million by 2030, as conflict, climate change, rising poverty and inequality continue to hinder efforts to transform gender and social norms that underpin this harmful practice and disrupt programmes that help protect girls. “Female genital mutilation (FGM) violates the rights of women and girls and limits their opportunities for the future in health, education and income. Rooted in gender inequality and power imbalances, it is…

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‘Bodyright’ campaign launched, to end rise in gender-based violence online

Stuart Mitchell

“It’s time for technology companies and policymakers to take digital violence seriously”, said UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem -“right now”.   The bodyright campaign highlights that corporate logos and copyrighted IP are more highly valued and better protected online than images of human bodies, which are often uploaded to the Internet without consent, and used maliciously.   The ⓑ symbol – which can be added to any image directly via Instagram stories using stickers, or by downloading it from the webpage – aims to hold policymakers, companies, and individuals to account while simultaneously driving the message that women, girls, racial and ethnic minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized groups are valued and will not be violated online.  The new frontier …

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UNICEF and UNFPA renew multi-country initiative to protect millions of girls from child marriage

Stuart Mitchell

A multi-country initiative to end child marriage and help protect the rights of millions of girls worldwide will be renewed for an additional four years, UNICEF and UNFPA announced. By 2023, the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage will reach over 14 million adolescent girls across 12 countries in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia  with direct services. The programme – which first launched in 2016 – also involves families, educators, health providers, governments, and religious and traditional leaders as part of the global effort to end child…

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UNFPA, Unite to Light Provide “Light for Life” for Midwives in Humanitarian and Conflict Zones

Stuart Mitchell

Under the Safe Birth Even Here campaign, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, and Unite to Light (UTL) have launched the “Light for Life” project. This initiative will provide solar lights to midwives in humanitarian and conflict zones, as well as to rural regions without access to electricity. According to the World Health Organization, 830 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. That is a death toll equivalent to a jumbo jet crashing, every single day. One of the most effective interventions to stop preventable…

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