Parvina Hangar's son was just 16 years old when she says he was abducted by Indian forces. That was almost 20 years ago, and Hangar, a simple woman with an elementary school education, did not know what to do or who to turn to. The pain of losing her son left her unable to get out of bed for months.

An independent United Nations human rights expert has called on Algeria to take concrete measures against the gender inequality underlying violence against women, which she called a largely hidden problem because of the North African country's social taboos around violence.

Having battled for over twenty years against the Family Code, Algerian women now face a new challenge. Unlike their elders, whose aim was to get the Family Code amended, young Algerian women today are campaigning for greater political representation and equality of access to top jobs.

Sex workers in Cambodia face rape, arbitrary arrest, extortion and other abuses at the hands of the authorities, according to a 20 July Human Rights Watch (HRW) report.

“We're looking for the Cambodian government to take steps to address abuses against marginalized groups, such as such sex workers, whose voices are rarely heard,” Sara Colm, a researcher for HRW, told IRIN.

At the recent ten-year review conference of the International Criminal Court (ICC), one of the side events was a Women's Court: a space for women to ‘testify' about their experiences during and after armed conflict in their countries.

U.S. intelligence officials say they have intercepted new orders from the Taliban's spiritual leader that call on insurgents to target women and Afghan civilians helping American-led forces. One year after issuing a detailed code of conduct that called on Taliban fighters to protect Afghan civilians, NATO officials say, Mullah Omar has issued new directives to his commanders that appear to represent a tougher stance.

The tiny Southeast Asian country of Cambodia has seen explosive economic growth in the past five years.

Skyscrapers will soon dominate the country's skyline and predictions of oil wealth offer hope that the country is finally beginning to outgrow its grisly past.

But a chilling form of recreation — gang rape — reminds everyone that for Cambodia, the past may yet still loom.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development's Conflict Early Warning Response Mechanism (CEWARN), in partnership with Pact and USAID/EA's Regional Conflict Management and Governance team, recently held a two-day Karamoja Women for Peace-building Networking Meeting in Eldoret, Kenya.

The Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and other partners, Tuesday commenced a three-day Security Training Workshop on the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) for State security personnel assigned at border posts between Liberia and neighbouring countries.

United Nations development chief Helen Clark has lauded the progress made by Ghana towards women's empowerment and gender equality, one of the eight social and economic objectives known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that world leaders have pledged to achieve by 2015.