How does a woman challenge deeply entrenched cultural practices to convince her husband, her brother or father that she can demand equal rights?

This is the question facing many women across Africa today, especially in rural areas where high levels of illiteracy have kept many girls and their mothers "in the dark" when it comes to civil liberties.

Female representation in government and legislative bodies in sub-Saharan Africa is growing but more women must take political leadership roles in their countries to ensure that laws and conventions protecting their rights are implemented, according to civil society groups.

Amnesty International today urged the Guatemalan authorities to act to stop the high numbers of women being killed across the country and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice, ahead of International Women's Day on 8 March.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today requested $1.4 billion in its annual appeal to assist children and women caught in crises, with the bulk of that needed for Pakistan and Haiti.

Women in Sierra Leone will today, Tuesday 8th March 2011, join their counterparts the world over to commemorate the International Women's Day.

Various women's groups in the country have lined up series of events including seminars, processions, radio and television programs, and social events to mark the all-important day.

In commemoration of this year's International Women's Day, Action Aid International –Sierra Leone (AAI-SL) over the weekend concluded a one-day interactive seminar on access to justice for women. The workshop held at Action Aid's Head Office in Lumley, Freetown, attracted rural women from Bo, Bombali and Kono Districts.

Hundreds of women take the streets of Cairo only to face men telling them to "go home where they belong".

A protest by hundreds of Egyptian women demanding an end to sexual harassment and equal rights has turned violent when men verbally abused and shoved the demonstrators.