A top United Nations official has exhorted advertisers to join efforts to stamp out violence against women, calling on the industry to help defy destructive gender stereotypes, a root cause of the scourge.

In developing parts of the world like Sri Lanka, women remain more or less subjugated, writes Kalyani Inpakumar.

As Tamils in Australia, we feel for our brothers and sisters back home in Sri Lanka. The Australian Tamil Congress (ATC) was formed to unit all the Tamil organisations to make our voice more powerful.

Work outside the home in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar Province has become almost impossible for women due to constant threats and intimidation by insurgents.

Shirin Alam Holi, born in 1981 in a small village near Maku, executed in Evin Prison on May 9th 2010 after passing one year and nine months in prison. She was charged with the issue cooperating with Pajak (Iranian branch of PKK) on Nov. 29th 2009 and sentenced to death.

Afghanistan's president doesn't seem to understand that without the inclusion of women there will be no lasting peace.

Even as no woman was elected in the Shura elections held in May 2007, Omani women have resolved not to give up. After waiting in queue in front of the school premises in 2007 to enroll themselves in the elections, 84 seats were won by men candidates. However, this did not deter the women, instead, they firmed up their determination to dream big with a belief “sky is the limit”.

For the first time, Bangladesh is going to send female police officers to a foreign UN peacekeeping mission.

Demand for Bangladeshi police officers by the UN for its peacekeeping missions is increasing because they are renowned for their professionalism.

Bangladesh police first sent officers to the UN peacekeeping mission in in Namibia in 1989.

March is considered “women's month” in Georgia, since March 8 is International Women's Day and March 3 is Mother's Day. This is proof, according to parliament deputy Akaki Bobokhidze and many other Georgian men, that the country respects women more than them.

The Parliament of Georgia passed a Gender Equality Law on 27 March. The legislation provides for the establishment of a national women's machinery, the enhancement of women's security, equality in the labour market and the strengthening of women's political participation. The law also introduces gender-responsive planning and budgeting on the part of the government.

March 4-5, 2010, marked a historic moment for women in Guatemala, where for the first time the Court of Conscience against Sexual Violence during the Internal Armed Conflict took place in Guatemala City.