As Kurdistan is fast progressing, becoming democratized and westernized, it faces serious difficulties with its conservative culture that has subjected women to painful and deadly rituals including honor killing. Barham Salih, prime minister of Kurdistan, promised on Thursday to put the issue of women first in his government's policies and eliminate violence against women, who constitute more than half of the Kurdish society.

The worst natural disaster in Pakistan's history has created new dangers for the girls and women who make up much of the 20 million victims of the country's recent floods.

October 2010 marked the 10th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which calls for women to be engaged in all phases of securing, building, and maintaining peace. Commemorative events have focused on the challenge of implementing resolutions that call for the protection of women and the transformative inclusion of women in conflict prevention, resolution, and recovery.

Sexual violence against women is an internationally-recognized crime and the international community must make joint efforts to stop the impunity on this, said a UN envoy on sexual violence in conflict in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency.

Women and children suffered terribly during the 2010 general election given the gun battles in border areas, according to a Women's League of Burma (WLB) statement issued on Thursday, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Catholics have joined with other Indonesians to launch an anti-sexual violence campaign to counter the increasing number of women facing abuse.

“We are holding this campaign because sexual violence cases are increasing in Indonesia and happening at individual, public and state spheres,” said Siti Maesaroh, campaign coordinator, at a press conference in Jakarta on Nov. 25.

This year's 16 Days of Activism campaign focuses on women and conflict, a timely theme considering we are also reviewing 10 years since the adoption of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325.

This resolution linked violence against women during conflict and their marginalisation during peace processes with the challenges of maintaining international peace and security.

Almost 80% of the men in Gauteng admit to perpetrating some form of violence against women. This was revealed through a prevalence survey on gender violence conducted by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the non-governmental organisation Gender Links.

SOUTH Africa has sophisticated gender machinery present in public life, and women's entry into previously male work spaces, such as the military, mining and construction is seen as part of the “gender agenda”.