Finance Minister AMA Muhith has said the upcoming fiscal budget will have special focus on women's economic empowerment.

He said the government is actively considering giving special focus on gender budget as it has received enthusiasm in all related ministries and earned some significant successes.

More than 50 human rights bodies and individuals in Assam yesterday condemned the recent killing of four women as a result of the evil customary practice of witch hunting and demanded immediate action from the government to provide safety and security to women in the affected districts.

During Nigeria's last leg of elections for governorship seats and State Houses of Assembly on 26 April, UN Women will monitor the polls for violence against women in real-time.

A Filipina who has been in custody for more than four months since reporting a rape to police is due to appear in court early next month.

The woman identified by the Philippine consulate as AS, 23, has been detained at Al Muraqqabat police station on charges of consensual sex since December 8.

She said she did not request a UAE-based lawyer to defend her during a consular visit on April 6.

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) recently introduced the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (SaVE) in an effort for universities to have more transparent sexual assault policies.

The U.S. and other key nations are backing a new U.N. resolution on the disputed Western Sahara that mentions human rights for the first time, but the group promoting independence for the mineral-rich north African territory said Tuesday it doesn't go far enough.

Violations of human rights are on the increase in northeastern Central African Republic (CAR), with aid workers expressing concern for protection of civilians amid renewed clashes between government troops and the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP) rebels - one of the few groups that has not signed a peace agreement with the government.

The introduction of the National Youth Service Programme (NYSP) in 2001 saw an upsurge in politically motivated rape and other forms of sexual exploitation, a report by the Harare-based Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU) has claimed.

Imagine you're a U.N. peacekeeper driving along a dirt road surrounded by dense forests on each side in the conflict-hit region of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Suddenly a half-naked local woman emerges from the bushes, and runs towards your vehicle, screaming in a language you do not understand.

What do you do?

In 2000, when the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1325, there was reason to hope that women would finally be at the table in countries where major decisions were being made following political crises.