Only a few months ago following the killing of First Lieutenant Isla Bibi, her female police force replacement Second Lieutenant Bibi Negarah was attacked, but not killed, by a gunman and his associate who were driving by on a motorcycle.

How best can international development agencies and indigenous NGOs support the efforts of women in the countries where they work to challenge the violence against them? What is development, who are the intended beneficiaries, and at what cost? The next section will argue that violence against women has often been framed as a concern for development agencies in narrowly economic terms.

New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS): An all-women police unit provided by India, as part of a UN peacekeeping force, inspired many Liberian women to join the West African nation's police and security services.

The death toll from an alleged massacre in an Alawite village in central Syria has risen to 22, including women, children and elderly men, a rights monitoring group said on Thursday.

NIGERIA is set to launch national action plan for full implementation of the United Nations' Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on women, peace and security.

Just seven days after having been sworn into office, the new Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, welcomed civil society representatives based in New York at UN Women Headquarters and pledged strong collaboration.

Australia's Security Council presidency, set to commence on 1 September, has already been tarnished by the government's broken promise to women.

On a sunny day in early May, in Ndu, northwest Cameroon, a group of women, many of whom have taken the day off from work on their farms, are evaluating the performance of an aspiring politician. One suggests smiling more, another that the candidate project her voice more and not look at her feet while talking. The women are here in the Bishop Shanahan Centre to improve their public-speaking skills and learn more about electoral procedures.

Thirty-seven women expect to run for mayor or head of local councils in municipal elections to be held on Oct. 22, while dozens more will try for council membership. If only a quarter of the contestants for the various positions will be elected, the results will still be considered a real revolution regarding the representation of women in local politics that is currently controlled by men.

During the 2012 race for the Iowa United States House of Representatives, there were 12 candidates running, one woman and 11 men.

Christie Vilsack was the only woman to run but was defeated by incumbent Steve King.

Vilsack is not the first woman to run and be defeated. A woman has never served as an Iowa representative in Congress or as Iowa's governor, which brings to question the struggles women in politics face today.