A visit to the Jalozai camp, originally established in 1980 for Afghans fleeing the Soviet invasion, gives an idea of how the fighting between the Pakistani Army and militants has affected families in the tribal areas of Pakistan.

As we enter the second century of celebrations to mark March 8 as the International Women's Day (IWD), my mind questions: So what has changed for women globally and in Nepal? What are some of the key markers of women's progress and empowerment?

Rehana Yasmin thought the kindly women had come to help her after floods devastated her village. Instead they passed her on to two men -- who raped her at gunpoint.

The 19-year-old student said three women took her from her home in the central Pakistani district of Rajanpur last summer, saying aid was being distributed for flood victims and they would get her food.

Today is the International Women's Day. The origin of this day, dates back to the year 1857 in which the employees of a garment factory in New York staged protest against its administration.

The Nicaraguan government is failing to tackle widespread rape and sexual abuse of teenage girls and provide adequate assistance to rape survivors in the Central American nation, a researcher at the rights group, Amnesty International, has said.

The world must pay attention to the brave Burmese women whose struggle for human rights places their lives and health at risk. Civil Rights Defenders urges the international community not to reconsider its stance against the Burmese government until the human rights situation in the country is showing concrete improvements.

Indonesian Minister for Women Empowerment and Children Protection Linda Agum Gumelar said on Tuesday that more active gender equality socialization will reduce violence against women and children.

For 100 years, International Women's Day on March 8th has honoured the achievements made by women each year in every country. At NATO, women play an important role in building peace and security in many of the world's most troubled area.

Amarilis Chilel, 15, left her hometown of Ixchiguán in northwest Guatemala to work as a domestic in the capital: a common story among rural girls and women in Central America. "I went to school up to fourth grade," she told IPS.

The teenager, who belongs to the Mam community, one of the main Mayan native groups in Guatemala, says her father tried without success to convince her to stay in school.

Nawara Belal dreamt of an Egypt where men and women stood side-by-side. Last month, she lived that dream in Tahrir Square.

"In moments of happiness, we had our total right to dance or sing or hug each other and men," she told us, recalling the pro-democracy protests. "In moments of fear or disappointment, we were not excluded."