The birth of a girl, so goes a popular Hindu saying, is akin to the arrival of Lakshmi - the four-armed goddess of wealth, often depicted holding lotus flowers and an overflowing pot of gold.

That should assure pride of place for women in Indian society, especially now the country is growing both in global influence and affluence.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Malawi's new President Joyce Banda and several other female present and former heads of state and government gathered in Washington Monday for a panel discussion on the challenges of international development, democracy and global security.

It is only three months old. But already the website Her Zimbabwe is being hailed as a rare respite from the relentless tales of violence, poverty and political feuding.

Windhoek - Namibia's political parties have paid a lot of lip service and demonstrated lack of commitment to mainstreaming gender issues and incorporating women in leadership positions, lobbyists have said.

Women of different political persuasions have recommended that they be included more in the drafting of parties' manifestos and policies and that those policy documents should have clear cut positions on women's participation.

Throughout history, sexual assault has been used as a weapon of war, up to and including events under way in Syria. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said last week that up to 50,000 women were assaulted in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) during the 1990s conflict, while in Syria, security forces "are using rape against both men and women as a tool to spread fear among the opposition."

Access to justice for women who suffer sexual violence in Central America and southern Mexico remains limited despite the high incidence of rape and other crimes, of which underage girls are the main victims, experts say.

Here in Afghanistan, the United States is spending $2 billion dollars a week on war under the guise of improving Afghanistan.

In Chicago at the NATO summit, Hillary Clinton, Madeline Albright and several influential female leaders came together and publicly claimed an American and NATO troop presence in Afghanistan was warranted in order to continue to improve the security of women.

In the face of the most prolonged government crackdown in the Arab Spring, Syrian women are protesting alongside men, showing the world they will not be silenced -- whether by their government or by fears of an Islamist alternative.

When the aspirin and alcohol swabs fell from under her clothes at a Syrian army checkpoint, Rania stood petrified, looking first down at her fallen contraband and then up at the soldier who stared straight back at her.

Rania knew that smuggling food and medicine to Syrian opposition activists was considered by security forces to be "aiding terrorists" and treated as severely as weapons smuggling.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay – who made the remarks at the end of a four-day visit to the country – said at a press conference: “Drone attacks do raise serious questions about compliance with international law”.

“I stress the importance of investigating such cases and ensuring compensation to these victims.