Gaborone businesswoman Kenamile Mosiieman is a locksmith, a profession that has always been associated with men. Mosiieman has been operating her locksmith business - known as Kenny's Locksmith - since 1994. She recalled that it was very difficult when she started the business, which is situated at African Mall. "Starting the business was not easy. I used to make around P4.50 per day and rentals were high. Everything was difficult," said Mosiieman, who is the first Motswana businesswoman to operate a locksmith.

Women and girls were the main casualties of human rights abuses in Kenya in 2004, says a rights watchdog. "Women and girls continued to be subjected to violence in the home, in the community and in the custody of the State," states Amnesty International in its latest global report. Cases of torture, ill-treatment, excessive use of force and arbitrary shootings by police were reported in 2004, says the report launched in London this week. "Conditions in detention frequently amounted to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Death sentences continued to be imposed." The rights watchdog says violence against women and girls is widespread despite efforts to increase public awareness by the authorities and civil society.

How can the global community achieve the goal of gender equality and the empowerment of women? This question is the focus of Goal 3 of the Millennium Development Goals endorsed by world leaders at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000 and of this report, prepared by the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Education and Gender Equality. The report argues that there are many practical steps that can reduce inequalities based on gender, inequalities that constrain the potential to reduce poverty and achieve high levels of well-being in societies around the world. There are also many positive actions that can be taken to empower women.

I've been reading Bin Ladin--Carmen, that is, not her brother-in-law Osama (she spells the last name with an "i")--and I'd like to present a brand-new approach to terrorism, one that turns out to be more consistent with traditional American values. First, let's stop calling the enemy "terrorism," which is like saying we're fighting "bombings." Terrorism is only a method; the enemy is an extremist Islamic insurgency whose appeal lies in its claim to represent the Muslim masses against a bullying superpower. This article argues that a sustained and serious effort to gain human rights for women worldwide could be the start of a brand new approach to fighting terrorism.

A woman is killed every six hours in South Africa by her partner and less than 40 percent of the homicides lead to a conviction, according to a new study. The study is further evidence of the deep social scars that remain a decade after the end of apartheid, a regime that provoked a major upsurge in violence and alcoholism and stigmatized and disempowered black men, according to analysts.

This article seeks to explore the dynamics of marginalising women from political power, and the ways in which "First Ladies" have sought to intervene through their special position as spouses of men in power. In many African countries, the First Lady phenomenon has opened doors for women that had previously been closed. At the same time, it has created a dynamic in which political space has been appropriated and used by the wives and friends of men in power for purposes of personal aggrandisement, rather than for furthering the interests of women.

New technologies in the information and communications arena, especially the Internet, have been seen as ushering in a new age. There is a mainstream view that such technologies have only technical rather than social implications. The dramatic positive changes brought in by these information and communication technologies (ICTs), however, have not touched all of humanity. Existing power relations in society determine the enjoyment of benefits from ICTs; hence these technologies are not gender neutral. The important questions are: who benefits from ICTs? Who is dictating the course of ICTs? Is it possible to harness ICTs to serve larger goals of equality and justice? Central to these is the issue of gender and women’s equal right to access, use and shape ICTs.

A new book 'The Role of Women in Ghana's Economy has found that that there are more women in informal economic activities than men in the three economic areas, namely, agriculture, industry and services. The author, Nora Judith Amu estimates that some 80% of women in Ghana are engaged in various economic activities and they predominate in the informal micro-small to medium scale agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors of the economy. While the informal sector gives women the flexibility they need to cope with their multiple roles as workers, wives and mothers, the remuneration is highly unstable and therefore their earnings vary from period to period.

A new World Bank Group (WBG) study cites Uganda as a leader in Sub-Saharan Africa in addressing critical linkages between economic growth and gender issues. But it suggests Uganda can grow faster by unleashing the economic power of women through speeding up the current process of removing barriers to business. The Director for Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, Mr Lawrence Kiiza, said, "Gender is often considered a soft social issue, but we know it has important economic consequences too. The government has made a lot of progress in improving women's participation in the political process and we are trying to ensure women have the opportunity to fully participate economically too."

Agenda feminist journal invites abstracts and letters of interest for the fourth issue of 2005 which will focus on domestic violence. This issue forms the first in a trilogy on gender-based violence (GBV). Although gender equality is enshrined in the South African Constitution and the world has been witness to incredible policy initiatives on gender and GBV, women on the ground are yet to be affected by the progress made at political high level. Gender based violence is a violation of human rights and the GBV Trilogy will tackle it as such.

Women are often the victims of armed conflicts in Africa's Great Lakes region yet they are underrepresented at the UN-sponsored meetings to implement a declaration signed in November 2004 by heads of state in the region on regional peace, security, democracy and development, a UN official said on Wednesday. "No women representatives were at the peace and security thematic task force [meeting]," George Ola-Davies, the spokesman for the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), told IRIN on Wednesday in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, during an ICGLR gender experts' strategy workshop.

Women are often the victims of armed conflicts in Africa's Great Lakes region yet they are underrepresented at the UN-sponsored meetings to implement a declaration signed in November 2004 by heads of state in the region on regional peace, security, democracy and development, a UN official said on Wednesday. "No women representatives were at the peace and security thematic task force [meeting]," George Ola-Davies, the spokesman for the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), told IRIN on Wednesday in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, during an ICGLR gender experts' strategy workshop.

South Africa's Constitutional Court was told Tuesday that barring same-sex couples from marrying is discrimination. The court was hearing a legal challenge brought by Marie Fourie and Cecilia Bonthuys, who have been partners since 1994 but are unable to marry. Last year the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that the definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman discriminated unfairly against same-sex couples, and that common law should be developed to take this into account.

Tolerance. What a word. What a concept. Oh what a dream. It conjures up images of people going about their lives, styles and lifestyles uninhibited. It denotes the freedom to be oneself and not suffer harsh consequences from others who do not accept who and what you are. In a tolerant society, people can and do, speak their minds, secure in the knowledge that their right to think, speak and act differently will not be violated. The essence of tolerance is to allow a realm of private morality, which is not the law's business. Understood this way, tolerance would close off majoritarian tyranny. It would protect minorities, be they sexual, ethnic or those who may hold and champion unpopular views. It is this kind of tolerance that this country desperately needs. Tolerance is inconsistent with homophobia, the suppression of unpleasant views, the bludgeoning of critics and the deportation of those whose ideas the leadership finds distasteful.

The Domestic Relations Bill (DRB) has again been shelved amidst protests from several MPs, mostly women activists. Constitutional affairs state minister Adolf Mwesige sought to have the Bill withheld as it was due for the second reading in Parliament. Deputy Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, however, ruled that the Bill be brought back to Parliament for the 2nd reading on June 16. Mwesige said following protests from different important sections of society like the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council and the Uganda Joint Christian Council, the Government had mandated the Law Reform Commission to consult further on the issue before it could be debated in parliament.

Government will ensure that all barriers against women's participation in national affairs are removed to enhance economic development, Gender In Development Division (GIDD) acting Permanent Secretary Lawrence Musonda has said. Dr Musonda said Government was aware that women played a critical role in various socio-economic activities of the nation, hence its resolve to redress gender imbalances in the productive sectors.

This pocket guide aims to assist extension and other community-based workers to understand the management of resources within and between rural households. It has been developed to assist people in applying a participatory and gender- responsive approach in their planning with and service to rural women and men. The guide promotes the SEAGA principles of giving priority to disadvantaged groups, focus on gender relations, and the use of participation and a holistic approach as essential in development work.

This brief study looks at girls' vulnerability to violence in prison and other forms of detention. The study identifies key issues of concern including: the widespread practice of detaining girls with adults, and their vulnerability to violence in this situation; and, the lack of attention paid to the particular needs of girls in prison policies, procedures and facilities, for example in relation to decisions on pre-trial detention, opportunities for education and employment, healthcare and family contact.

The Domestic Relations Bill (DRB) has again been shelved amidst protests from several MPs, mostly women activists. Constitutional affairs state minister Adolf Mwesige sought to have the Bill withheld as it was due for the second reading in Parliament. Deputy Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, however, ruled that the Bill be brought back to Parliament for the 2nd reading on June 16. Mwesige said following protests from different important sections of society like the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council and the Uganda Joint Christian Council, the Government had mandated the Law Reform Commission to consult further on the issue before it could be debated in parliament.

The International Master Study Programme: 'Health and Society: International Gender Studies Berlin', will start for the first time in October 2005 at the Charity University in Berlin. The programme will enable the students to become experts in health and gender related issues, and intends to promote women into leadership positions.