Shot at and raped. Arrested and beaten. Detained and deported. Extorted and robbed. Threatened and insulted. Ignored and shunned. The treatment of hardened criminals in some far-flung police state? The fate of political opponents by a repressive regime? Not quite. For Somali refugees - 80% of them women and children - this is their welcome to Kenya.

On 22 November 2008, the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Antananarivo, together with the UN Club and the Association of Women Leadership of Ifanadiana, organized training sessions to discuss the issue of violence against women in Madagascar. Over 50 students from Ambodirafia, Ranomafana and Ikelilalina attended the event.

Power comes any way you can get it. Says Graca Michel, the only woman in the world who has been married to two country presidents: "My weakness is, I'm attracted to strong people -- people who challenge me. People who are better than myself."

IN JANUARY 2005, Julia Gillard was home in Altona contemplating a challenge to struggling Labor leader Kim Beazley. She had cut short an overseas holiday and in the 2½ days since getting off the plane had been hunkered down, working the phones, checking the numbers. Her suitcase was still unpacked in the hall.

The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) said here Friday that it will focus on women's equality and empowerment as well as development cooperation in the coming weeks.

If Elena Kagan is confirmed as a Supreme Court justice, fully one third of the current court will be female.

The court's gender makeup is not likely to be front and center when confirmation hearings begin Monday, but the fact that Kagan would be the third woman on the current court has prompted a discussion about the role of women in judging, and even about their marital status.

The northern region of Diana is known for the beautiful beaches of the Nosy-Be district and the scent of fields of ylang-ylang flowers. But the political landscape of Diana is as extraordinary as its geography: the region's administrative head is a woman, Anjara Mantasara.

Madagascar counts three women amongst its 22 regional heads, who are appointed by Cabinet and responsible for local development.

Rwanda's National Action Plan on UN Security Council resolution 1325 was officially launched during the International Forum on the Role of Leadership in Promoting, Accelerating and Sustaining Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Kigali, Rwanda on 17-18 May.

Rwanda's National Action Plan on UN Security Council resolution 1325 was officially launched during the International Forum on the Role of Leadership in Promoting, Accelerating and Sustaining Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Kigali, Rwanda on 17-18 May.

Rwanda's National Action Plan on UN Security Council resolution 1325 was officially launched during the International Forum on the Role of Leadership in Promoting, Accelerating and Sustaining Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Kigali, Rwanda on 17-18 May.