Without gender equality Africa will be unable to achieve lasting development as it confronts the recent food, financial and energy crises, according to speakers at United Nations-backed conference now underway in Addis Ababa.

The Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights ZADHR is deeply concerned that the lives of pregnant women have been placed in jeopardy by the closure of the only 2 government maternity hospitals in Harare. If these women develop complications and are unable to afford private hospital care, they will no longer have access to lifesaving surgical and other forms of emergency obstetric care.

We are seeking proposals for fresh papers to be presented at a small, publication-driven conference on female religious authority in the modern Islamic world at Oxford University in May 2009. Please submit 500-750 word abstracts by 31 December 2008 to [email][email protected]

Hawa* is determined her young daughter will not undergo female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), which is widespread in Somalia's self-declared republic of Somaliland. An estimated 90 percent of girls still undergo the procedure.

This essay presents an overview of key issues in literature on gender justice, citizenship and entitlement in the sub-Saharan Africa region. The essay begins with definitions of the key terms, making a special effort to draw from literature generated within the region. The second section, constituting most of the essay, is a review of the key literature, arranged by problem areas on which the literature on gender justice has focused.

Ms Lucia Namuganga lost her husband to HIV/Aids a couple of years ago. Before a month elapsed, in-laws chased her away from their land, accusing her of infecting their son with the virus. Confused and frustrated, she went back to her parents’ home with five children thinking that she would be able to till part of their land and fend for herself and the five orphans.

The main focus of the course is the role of Media in conflict prevention and conflict transformation, Media coverage of women in conflict and feminist media. It will also tackle how the media perpetuates patriarchal behaviors in different cultures and critical analysis and debates on Media and its role in and influence on concepts of Power and Gender will be fostered.

The gay and lesbian community in Senegal last year shattered last year, after the local press published private photos of a gay wedding, causing fierce reactions from the police, religious leaders and ordinary citizens. Now, the community gathers strength to start fighting for gay rights in Senegal.

Swazi gender activists are angry that King Mswati III and the newly elected Parliament have betrayed their hopes, and the Constitution, by not appointing more women to the House of Assembly and the Senate. In the September elections, just seven women were elected to the Assembly, which numbers 55 members (MPs)

Many Maghreb citizens, Islamic scholars and human rights activists have vigorously condemned the stoning death last week of a 13-year-old Somali rape victim judged guilty of adultery. Some have expressed utter astonishment at how such an act of barbarism could be directed at a child in the name of religion.

This programme looks at the significance of the recent Rwandan elections which made history as women gained a majority in parliament - what do ordinary Rwandan women think of and expect from this success and what inspiration or message for the rest of Africa.

Thousands of widows and orphans will have to wait a little longer for the Government to finalise mechanisms on how to reclaim financial assets left behind by their husbands or fathers. A taskforce set up in March 2008 to come up with recommendations on how Sh38 billion in unclaimed financial assets should be handled is yet to submit its report, the House heard.

The African continent has diverse cultural backgrounds and in contemporary Zimbabwean culture, traditional customary practices have a strong foothold and remain an integral part of the everyday lives of many Zimbabweans. In this regard, women in Zimbabwe are still vulnerable to some entrenched customary practices, despite the legal prohibitions which have since been enacted by the Zimbabwe judicial system.

Islamist women, increasingly restless with their subordinate status in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, are pushing for greater representation and a wider role, according to a new paper from the Carnegie Middle East Center. Omayma Abdel-Latif explores the role of women within the movement, including recent debates following the release of the 2007 draft party platform that denied women the right to the country’s top position.

In the 1995 constitution, the government of Uganda vests land in its citizens. This it sets out to strengthen by decentralizing land administration and management as per the Land Act 1998. It is almost 10 years now down the road, but to many the policy doesn't seem to exist. What has or has not changed for women and land: A case of Lira district.

The fight for rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in the Indian Ocean’s small island of Mauritius is finally bearing fruits. The country’s government has, for the first time, included sexual orientation in its discrimination bill.Employment Rights Bill, as it is known, states that nobody should be discriminated against based on sexual orientation while applying for a job.

On the fifth day of every month a group of women entrepreneurs gather to share their experiences and discuss matters of trade. What makes this exceptional is that the women are from south-central Somalia and they meet in Mogadishu, one of the world's most devastated and dangerous cities.

Honorata Kizende looked out at the audience and began with a simple, declarative sentence. “There was no dinner,” she said. “It was me who was dinner. Me, because they kicked me roughly to the ground, and they ripped off all my clothes, and between the two of them, they held my feet. One took my left foot, one took my right, and the same with my arms, and between the two of them they proceeded to rape me. Then all five of them raped me.”

Sunni Islam's highest authority has approved a woman's right to fight back if her husband uses violence against her. The declaration by Sheikh Abdel Hamid al-Atrash, who heads Al-Azhar University's committee for fatwas or religious rulings, comes after similar rulings by clerics in Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

We the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe, on behalf of the women of Zimbabwe remain gravely concerned by the failure of the Political Principals to conclude the talks that will result in the resolution of the Zimbabwe’s political, economic and humanitarian crisis.