The latest flurry of attention toward gays in the military shows that the question of who gets to be a soldier, and why, is sometimes unavoidably moral. So let's ask that question about another group of soldiers who haven't attracted as much talk but should: mothers, many of them single, in combat boots -- and combat zones.

Margot Wallström's two-year U.N. assignment to stem sexual violence in conflict areas begins March 1, with an immediate focus on the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In the first part of my research-based article on titled 'Iran: Clerics or pimps', readers must have already learnt about the latest status of women in that country, which is under the totalitarian role of Muslim fanatics, who virtually are turning the country into a hell.

In celebration of the International Women's Month this March, the Philippine government has issued Executive Order 865 creating the national steering committee on Women, Peace and Security. EO 865 adopts the National Action Plan of the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UN SCR) 1325 that specifically addresses the impact of war on women, and women's contributions to conflict prevention and sustainable peace.

The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) welcomes the apology given by Sierra Leonean President Ernest Bai Koroma on Saturday to women victims of the country's 10-year armed conflict that ended in 2002.

With the United Nations peacekeeping forces set to begin a pull-out in coming months, women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have little reason to see the move as a sign of increased personal security, experts warn.

Their likelihood of becoming victims of heinous rape crimes remains high. Impunity in the country only worsens their chances of falling prey to those using sexual violence as a weapon of war.

African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) said incidents of violence against women and children in armed conflicts continued unabated in many parts of Africa.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Margot Wallström of Sweden as his Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Ms. Wallström has been a long-time advocate of the rights and needs of women throughout her political career -- first as Swedish Minister and later as Environment Commissioner and Vice-President of the European Commission.

When the Security Council adopted resolution 1325 back in October 2000, it was a historic event: for the first time the U.N.'s most powerful political body dealt with a gender-related issue, explicitly linking women to peace and security.