Seven Kuwait WEP’s signatories go orange to put a spotlight on ending violence against women

Date: Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Seven WEPs signatories from Kuwait including Al Hamra Real Estate, Burgan Bank, EQUATE Petrochemical, Gulf Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait Stock Exchange, National Bank of Kuwait and Zain Group lit their buildings in orange to say no to violence against women and girls, as part of the global UNITE campaign organized around the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence.

Press release: Arab states shed light on violence against women and girls during the COVID-19 pandemic

Date: Monday, December 7, 2020

Governments, civil society organizations, media, private sector, youth representatives and UN agencies in the Arab states region came together for an online dialogue to review the regional response to violence against women and girls during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Preventing violence through education in the West Bank

Date: Monday, December 7, 2020

A teacher works with students in a school in Ramallah, West Bank before the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: HAYA Joint Programme/Samar Hazboun Violence inflicts harm on women, girls, men, and boys of all ages throughout the world. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, violence against women and girls has intensified and violence against school children in and outside the home is no exception. According to a survey by Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, in the West Bank and Gaza Strip,...

Press release: New UN Women report puts forth policy agenda to advance the care economy in the Arab States

Date: Monday, December 7, 2020

While women’s rights have advanced over the past decades, women continue to play a disproportionate role in the care economy across the Arab States, performing on average 4.7 times more unpaid care work than men – the highest female-to-male ratio anywhere in the world, according to UN Women’s new flagship report, “Progress of Women in the Arab States 2020: The role of the care economy in promoting gender equality” published today.

Helping survivors of violence seek justice through forensic science in the West Bank

Date: Monday, December 7, 2020

A vital pillar in the justice and security system, the sole forensic science laboratory in the West Bank seeks justice for survivors of violence. UNODC through the HAYA Joint Programme, is training laboratory technicians to help increase the likelihood of identifying perpetrators of violence and holding them accountable.

Hand over the Mic: Baselah Mohammad Abdelrazak, Za’atari refugee camp

Date: Friday, December 4, 2020

“I have been a community leader for the past 2 years. During this pandemic, I am in constant contact with the women and girls in my community. We mainly use phone calls, WhatsApp messages and groups.

Press release: Women’s organizations confirm surge of domestic violence during COVID-19 in the Arab States

Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020

Since its spread in early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a global emergency with multiple dimensions. Beyond the health repercussions of the coronavirus, a “shadow pandemic” of violence against women and girls (VAWG) has emerged across the world, as women are confined at home with their abuser.

Press release: Norway supports UN Women to advance Libyan women’s participation in peacebuilding and political processes

Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020

With generous support from the Government of Norway, UN Women will intensify its efforts to advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Libya at this critical juncture.

Statement: Rebuilding better together to end AIDS for women and girls

Date: Monday, November 30, 2020

In a statement for World AIDS Day, 1 December, UN Women highlights the need to accelerate action towards gender equality, ending violence, supporting leadership and the full enjoyment of their human rights for all young women and girls, especially those affected by both coronavirus and HIV

Press release: United Nations House in Bahrain Goes Orange in Support of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence

Date: Sunday, November 29, 2020

The United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Bahrain is proud to support 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, an annual global campaign spanning two important international commemorations. The campaign, which began on November 25, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, will run up to International Human Rights Day, which falls on December 10. In solidarity with the Supreme Council for Women, and in close collaboration with UN Women, the United Nations House in Hoora will be bathed in orange light throughout the campaign.

Press Release: As impact of COVID-19 intensifies, UN Women calls for concrete actions to respond to the concurrent shadow pandemic

Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Galvanizes partners to fund organizations, respond to survivors’ needs, prevent violence and collect data to build a post-pandemic “new normal” as the 16 days of Activism campaign kicks off

Statement by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women Executive Director, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2020

In a statement for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka writes: "As we face COVID-19’s devastation, there has never been a more important moment to resolve to put our combined resources and commitment behind the biggest issues, and to end violence against women and girls, for good."

Press release: The United Nations, the Sexual and Gender-based Violence Taskforce and the National Commission for Lebanese Women launch a 16 Days Campaign against Gender-based Violence

Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2020

The global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign begins on 25 November and lasts till 10 December. On this occasion, the United Nations System in Lebanon, the Sexual and Gender-based Violence Taskforce (SGBV TF) and the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) are joining forces, to end and prevent gender-based violence in the country.

A female inmate’s journey towards reintegration amidst COVID-19 in Palestine

Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2020

The provision of mental health and reintegration support services for women in detention is critical to ensuring their rehabilitation. A joint programme by UN Women, UNDP and UNICEF in Palestine is supporting such interventions in a manner that empowers women and make them able to cope with new challenges -such as the COVID-19 crisis- in constructive and positive ways. In addition to receiving psychosocial support, female inmates like Nada are learning new crafts such as mosaic, embroidery...

As the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum continues, UN Women Libya congratulates women participants and alerts to incidents of threats against women participants

Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Following UN Security Council Resolution 2510 (2020) which endorsed the conclusions of the Berlin Conference on Libya, the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) convened in Tunis from 9 to 15 November 2020 and continued online since 23 November in pursuit of a political solution to the crisis in Libya.

Hand over the mic to: Aida Nour ElDin, Egypt

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Aida Nour ElDin is the Chairperson of the Women and Development Association (WDA), a grassroots civil society organization that specializes in providing various services to survivors of violence and raising community awareness in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Egypt.

What happened after COVID-19 hit: Lebanon

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Meserat Hailu, was 29 years old when she travelled to Beirut, Lebanon as an Ethiopian migrant domestic worker. For more than eight years, she suffered abuse by her employer until Legal Action Worldwide received word of her situation and took up her case and demanded her release.

From where I stand: “I’ll never let my girl undergo FGM… I do not want her to witness the torture that I went through”

Date: Sunday, November 15, 2020

Amal Ahmed* – a wife and mother of an 11-year-old girl and three boys aged 15, 18 and 19 – lives in Dar El-Salam in Cairo governorate. When she herself was 10 years old, Ahmed’s life was turned upside down, after she and her sister were tricked by their family into undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM) at the hands of a doctor at home.

A Syrian Woman in Lebanon starts her online business to fight economic hardship

Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Growing up in Syria, Malak Farran wanted to study law and become a lawyer. At 17, she married a Syrian man and moved to neighboring Lebanon, where her husband was employed, putting a halt to her dream of practicing law.

Amidst multiple crises, a Syrian in Beirut uses new skills to make a living

Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2020

As Lebanon sees a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases and deteriorating living conditions due to the ongoing political and economic crisis and the Beirut port explosions, Nisrine Kaf Al-Ghazal, a Syrian living in the capital, tries to make ends meet.