Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

In Eastern Congo, rape can be an act of war or revenge, or a response to extreme poverty, ignorance and fear.

Rape and conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are in the news. Like the daily global toll of avoidable death and illness, wars which do not obviously involve Americans, Europeans or Israelis usually struggle to be noticed. However, the DRC media coverage has not been universally welcome.

Human trafficking and rehabilitation of the rescued have emerged as major concerns for the state government. Though Bihar is one of the few states to have prepared an action plan named 'Astitva' to deal with the issue, it largely remains unimplemented.

'Astitva', the state plan of action with a vision of "Trafficking-Free Bihar," was approved by the state cabinet in 2008.

Somalia is the most dangerous country on earth to be a woman and a “living hell” for those struggling to feed their children amid war and drought, the country's minister for women says.

The daily violence, the constant fear of getting shot or raped, the lack of education and healthcare as well as practices like female genital mutilation make women's lives extremely hard, Maryan Qasim said.

Gender violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other conflict zones around the world is a subject of continual research and education through witness testimonials, podcasts and information presented by the Committee on Conscience of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

Although the apex court's decision acquitting five persons went against Mukhtaran Mai, yet she remains victorious. To many it would seem strange, but the way in which Mai raised her voice throughout the world to get justice has no parallel. In fact, she can be called the Rosa Parks of the 21st century. Her struggle is a beacon of hope for those who are suffering from discrimination.

The Canadian-funded textbooks and computers aren't overly expensive — certainly not compared to the price Afghan women risk having to pay for using them.

The sort of mundane learning most westerners have long taken for granted carries a persistent and very real threat for female students in southern Afghanistan: injury or death at the hands of the Taliban.

For the determined, however, it's no deterrent.

Female political prisoners in the quarantine section of Iran's Evin Prison have issued a letter for Iranian Women's Day, saying they have suffered repeated sexual threats by their interrogators.

The letter, which was published on the opposition website Kaleme, indicates that male interrogators have often forced these female activists “to make false self-incriminating confessions” by threatening them with sexual assault.

Had help not arrived on time, eight Nepali women would have fallen prey to traffickers, who were plotting to send them to Jordan on forged papers.

The women, most of them in their 20s, were rescued from a hotel in Pahadganj on Thursday evening after Help Nepali Mission informed Delhi Police that a man was allegedly trying to traffic them to Jordan.

At first, the responses to the questionnaire about the trauma of the war in Libya were predictable, if tragic: 10,000 people suffering post-traumatic stress, 4,000 children with psychological problems. Then came the unexpected: 259 women said they had been raped by militiamen loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.