This year's International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (6 February) focuses on the theme "Her Voice. Her Future - Investing in Survivors-Led Movements to End Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)." To reach our shared goal of ending FGM by 2030, we require more targeted, coordinated and sustained efforts. Each survivor's voice is a powerful call to action, and their choices contribute to the global movement against this harmful practice. Share #HerVoiceMatters to lead the #EndFGM movement.
Women and Gender Equality
Sandra is a law student and designer in Bolivia who faces the challenge of raising her daughter Nathaly as a single parent. She is supported by her mother and grandmother, who are also Cholitas. This is the name given to Aymara indigenous women from the Bolivian Andean region who wear traditional blankets, high top hats, and long voluminous skirts called polleras. Sandra juggles work, studies, and motherhood, but finds solace in weaving and listening to music. Traditional gender roles in Bolivia are changing as many women seek self-sufficiency. Sandra hopes that the moments spent with Nathaly will shape her into a strong woman.
Dr. Zuria Alberto is the leader of a mobile health team that operates in Cabo Delgado, the northernmost province of Mozambique. In this region, there are approximately who are displaced and living in difficult conditions due to climate crises and poverty. The mobile health workers travel by land or sea to reach women and girls living in rural and island areas of the province who may not have access to healthcare otherwise. The mobile team, supported by the (UNFPA), provides a comprehensive range of sexual and reproductive health services. This helps to reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancies, maternal mortality, and gender-based violence.
In the village of Dotembougou in central Mali, Atoumata Nimaga, a mother of three, is now a local volunteer leader who teaches other village women about healthy eating. Not so long ago, Atoumata faced hunger so severe that it threatened her unborn child. With the help of the she was able to receive nutritious rations during her pregnancy. She is now part of a joint programme that helps families offset the negative effects of climate shocks and humanitarian disasters. The programme aims to put more than 38,000 women at the center of the development process, giving them the knowledge and tools to address the challenges many face.
In the year 2023, the (UNFPA) encountered a range of crises, including natural disasters, climate change, and man-made disasters. Despite these challenges, women and girls affected by those situations achieved significant milestones. They released fashion collections, asserted their economic and bodily autonomy, and found innovative ways to help girls complete their education. Additionally, the health agency provided safe delivery of babies on land and sea and delivered aid to women in crisis. UNFPA is urging donors to support women and girls in humanitarian responses. Investing in them means investing in a better future.
Approximately half of the world's 281 million international migrants are women and girls, but this demographic faces significant hazards during migration, including the risk of exploitation in domestic employment and increased vulnerability to violence.
The people of Gaza are in the midst of an epic humanitarian catastrophe. UNWOMEN of how women and girls in Gaza have endured attacks and displacement.
What would the world look like if it was designed by and for women? seeks to redesign the world with women in mind.
Women in Niger experience gender-based violence in various forms including physical and sexual abuse, social norms that limit their participation in decision-making and community activities and being forced to marry at an early age. Child marriage violates human rights and hinders development efforts. It limits girls' education and leads to health issues. It also breeds reliance on men and limits opportunities for young women to make their living. The of the 51勛圖 (FAO) has implemented several projects in rural Senegal to raise awareness among all community members about the dangers of this practice, for girl children and the community at large. FAO works with communities to set up discussion and action groups called Dimitra Clubs.
During extreme weather events, women face heightened vulnerabilities among them, increased gender-based violence. As we mark COP28, women and girls are demanding.
offers humanitarian assistance and protection services to a young migrant mother, who undertook a perilous journey to Yemen in search of better livelihood opportunities.
Writer, lecturer, political activist, and feminist organizer Gloria Steinem denounces violence against women in a speech at UN Headquarters. Utilizing material from the UN Audiovisual Library, this production showcases a major force in the feminist movement taking her message to the global stage.
Worldwide, nearly one in three women has experienced physical and/or sexual violence at least once in her life. Yet only 5% of government aid goes to addressing gender-based violence, and less than 0.2% to its prevention. We need more investment in women's organizations, legislation, justice and services for survivors. This International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25) marks the start of our 16-day activism campaign, to demand action. Spread the message: !
On 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, launches an annual UN-wide campaign. During the following 16 Days of , the UN entity dedicated to gender equality asks governments, institutions and citizens to show how much the world cares about ending violence against women and girls under the theme ". Some 736 million women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a partner, sexual violence by a non-partner, or both, at least once in their lives. No country is within reach of eliminating intimate partner violence.
With 140 million women and girls on the move, accounting for half of the world's migrants, the International Organization for Migration recognizes that gender inequalities manifest differently depending on where women find themselves in the world. A new competition called Women on the Wall, saw nine artists from seven different countries paying tribute to a remarkable migrant woman, known and celebrated for her achievements in technology and innovation, through visual art in a public space.