Rapes Soar in Eastern Congo's Culture of Impunity
Military operations and rebel reprisals in eastern Congo have fueled a rise in sexual violence this year, but perpetrators face minimal consequences. An effort to drive out rebel groups has only contributed to the problem. The second of four stories.
New Fighting Escalates Rape in Eastern Congo
Military operations and rebel reprisals in eastern Congo -- plus corporate mineral interests -- have fueled a surge in sexual violence since January this year. Activists are pushing to hold rapists and companies accountable. The first of four stories.
Brothels in Ecuador Skirt Law Banning Minors
Brothels in the petroleum port province of Esmeraldas provide an employment magnet for underage women. A significant number are lured into the work by a man they consider a romantic partner. Third of six on Ecuador's sex industry.
Ecuador Sex Workers Target HIV-AIDS Prevention
Sex workers in Ecuador are building a national labor network and trying to curb HIV-AIDS, while dealing with the growing presence of minors and undocumented workers in brothels. The first of six stories on Ecuador's sex industry.
Quito Inmates Say Wait Is Its Own Punishment
Women in a Quito jail can languish for years before they see the inside of a courtroom. While they wait, they can earn a certificate and learn a skilled trade. Third of three stories on women in the jail.
Afghans Question 'Good Taliban' Times Ahead
Afghan women gathered in New York for the U.N.'s annual meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women took stock of some achievements. But many worried that a re-emergent Taliban threatens those gains.
U.N. Official Calls for More Female Peacekeepers
The number of women in the U.N.'s peace-keeping forces have risen in the year, but not fast enough, says an official in charge of peacekeeping strategy.
Drug Busts Fill Quito Women's Jail
Most of the women in a Quito jail were arrested on drug-related charges. A researcher says they reflect a trend in women's imprisonment that has been developing for decades. Second of three stories about women in the jail.
Ecuador Police Seize Foreign Women at Airport
A Paraguayan was on her way home from Ecuador when a man persuaded her to carry bottles of shampoo on the plane. Now she's in a Quito detention facility with a growing number of women on drug charges. First of three stories about women in the jail.
'Gravity Birth's Pulls Women to Ecuador Hospital
As part of a national effort to lower infant and maternal mortality in Ecuador, one hospital runs a "vertical maternity ward" with upright deliveries and the services of traditional midwives. Amid growing popularity, other hospitals are following suit.
Panel Decries Neglect of Sexual Violence in CongoCongo has been described as the worst country to be a woman, due to sexual atrocities being committed in the eastern part of the country. At a New York media event late last month, African panelist tried to rally humanitarian attention.
Casualties Replace Gaza's Maternity Ward Patients
In one Gaza hospital the maternity ward curtails normal operations and mothers of neonates hover over incubators threatened by power disruptions. The World Health Organization says all of Gaza's 56 primary health care clinics face fuel shortages.
Band of Congo Radio Reporters Aid Rape Victims
In eastern DRC, a group of female journalists is managing to change the cultural acceptance of rape. Despite safety risks and chronic equipment problems, the members are persuading rural rape survivors to tell their stories and learn their rights.
Mass Stigma Scars Congo's Rape Survivors
A psychologist in a Congo hospital says decades of war have produced a rape-friendly culture with a double standard. While perpetrators go unpunished the victims, including children, are ostracized. Amnesty International has issued a new warning.
Syrian Case Tests Tolerance on Killing Kinswomen
Syria just opened its first official shelter for battered women and has enacted reforms favorable to women in recent years. But safety activists can't rest as long as authorities tolerate families who consider it honorable to kill their kinswomen.
In Syrian Refuge, Women Find Barest Survival
Suburbs of Damascus offer a place to explore how Iraqi female refugees in Syria are managing to feed their children. Women whose husbands are dead, missing or disabled describe turning to low-income jobs, international aid and sex work.
Photos Probe Spectrum of Female Muslim Identity
In a New York photography exhibit female Muslim students show off a range of work and attitudes toward self representation. While some pose for family and personal shots, three withhold their names and refuse to be photographed for religious reasons.
Charge: Sahara Tribal Women Jailed for Adultery
A member of a Moroccan delegation in New York this month described a secret detention center in southwestern Algeria for mothers whose only crime was being unwed. The story's political backdrop is a complicated territorial dispute in Western Sahara.
Zimbabwean Makes Case for U.S. Anti-Violence Aid
The International Violence Against Women Act would require the U.S. to respond to a critical outbreak of gender violence within 180 days. Zimbabwean Betty Makoni explains why women in her country need the bill to be made into law
Rush to Biofuel Market Bypasses Female Farmers
Women are most of the developing world's farmers. But they are being left out of the rush to grow lucrative petrol alternatives because of their limited access to land, capital and technology, according to a major study released this week.
Cameroon's Nyatcha Presses On Against Powerful
Lilianne Nyatcha has withstood intimidation for her coverage of Cameroon's crackdown on political protests and harassment of the private press. She has also trained other women to test the boundaries and follow her lead.
Female Vets Offer Commander-in-Chief Advice
A group of returning servicewomen recently declined to say who they'd like next as commander in chief. Instead, as the 5th year of the Iraq war was about to be marked, they offered a women's perspective on military service and its aftermath.
In NYC, Church Joins State in Preventing Abuse
Religious leaders are often the first to hear cries for help from family abuse victims. A New York program counsels pastors and rabbis and encourages them to work with secular services. Part of our "Dangerous Trends, Innovative Responses" series.
Rwanda's AIDS Effort Offers Zambia a Lesson
Zambia is receiving hefty U.S. funding for its anti-AIDS effort but is showing much less for it than nearby Rwanda. A comparison of the countries suggests two key ingredients of success: strong condom promotion and support of women's rights.
Darfur Camp Breakups Intensify Women's Danger
Peacekeepers heading to Darfur in January may be too late for women who are in the camps for displaced people. Aid groups say that Sudan's wave of camp breakups is cutting off their access to food, medical care and protection from rape and trafficking.
Modesty Vogue Spurs Multi-Million Sales
Women who want to dress modestly but also keep up with fashion are spurring a religious-style retail sector with more than $25 million in annual sales. Some consider the vogue liberating; others warn of a darker side.
Iraqi Reporters Run Risks to Cover Women's Angle
Six women from McClatchy's Baghdad bureau took on the high-risk assignment of covering the war. Sometimes working in secrecy, they reported the sweeping changes facing their homeland and worked to put women's stories on the record.
Ramadan Feeds Mixed Views on Maternal Fasts
Ramadan fasting raises health and ethical questions for Muslim women who are pregnant, nursing or menstruating. Women who miss some of this year's fast can make up for it next year. First in a series on women and Islam.