In "Distant View of a Minaret," the late and much-neglected Egyptian writer Alifa Rifaat begins her short story with a woman so unmoved by sex with her husband that as he focuses solely on his pleasure, she notices a spider web she must sweep off the ceiling and has time to ruminate on her husband's repeated refusal to prolong intercourse until she too climaxes, "as though purposely to deprive her."

The Indonesia National Dialogue with CSOs on National Action Plan P4K, organized by UNDP under the N-Peace initiative, 18-19 April 2012, begins today in Bali, Indonesia.

Displaced women in camps across Darfur have expressed their anger at the recent escalation of rapes carried out by militias loyal to the Sudanese government.

Already vulnerable girls and women are repeatedly attacked when they venture out of the camps to collect firewood or water needed for everyday chores such as cooking and washing.

“Breaking the silence is the first step.”

Jessica Horn: Were there any early warnings that this crisis would emerge?

A year ago, women were front and centre in the Arab Spring uprisings – acting as advocates, smuggling ammunition to rebels, being beaten by police alongside men and caring for the wounded. But now they are in danger of being shunted aside by conservative male leaders such as the Muslim Brotherhood, who threaten to roll back the few rights women enjoy.

Joyce Banda, who has made history becoming Malawi's first female president and only the second woman to lead a country in Africa, has a track record of fighting for women's rights.

She took power over the weekend following the death of 78-year-old President Bingu wa Mutharika, who died in office after heading up the southern Africa country since 2004.

This past March was designated women's month in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In order to close it out on a high note, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams in DRC did something a little unusual.

More than 2,500 women from 140 countries traveled to İstanbul on Thursday for the start of the Association of Women's Rights in Development (AWID) 2012 forum.

The four-day international summit has attracted activists, journalists and scholars from across the globe to share their diverse experiences and together explore how to best move forward in channeling and reshaping economic power to advance women's rights and justice.