Global Issues News Headlines for “Women’s Rights”

Unexpected Ally Stepping Up Against Sexual Assault in Kenyan Slums: Landlord Standfirst

2026-04-10T07:56:11-07:00

BELLINGHAM, Washington USA, April 10 (IPS) - Trigger warning: This article discusses child rape. Their quiet latent power comes from being ever-present eyes and ears on the ground. As they move around their compounds, collecting rent and checking on anywhere from 10 to 20 houses occupied by as many as 200 people, they see and hear things.

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From misdiagnosis to medical bias: Why women are living longer but not better

2026-04-07T05:00:00-07:00

For 25 years, the world has made significant progress in advancing women’s right to health, particularly in sexual and reproductive care. Women are living longer than ever before – but they are not living better.

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WHO: Migrants and Refugees Face Rising Health Risks as Global Systems Fall Short

2026-04-02T17:47:17-07:00

UNITED NATIONS, April 2 (IPS) - Global human migration is at record-high levels, as the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that roughly 1 in 8 people—about one billion individuals—are on the move. Many of these migrants and refugees face harsh living conditions and heightened challenges, such as poverty, insecurity, and limited access to basic services. With the number of international migrants having doubled since 1990, new findings from WHO call for expanding health systems to meet the growing scale of needs.

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Artisanal Miners in Western Kenya Move Away From Mercury

2026-04-01T16:02:09-07:00

KAKAMEGA, Kenya, April 1 (IPS) - They call this land Bushiangala. Gold has been mined here for nearly a century. In 1931, colonial prospectors arrived after traces were found in the nearby Yala River, setting off a rush that changed this quiet corner of western Kenya.

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Failing to Learn: Afghan Girls Repeat Grades to Avoid Exclusion

2026-03-30T13:01:09-07:00

KABUL, March 30 (IPS) - It is almost unheard of for a student to deliberately fail final school exams for no apparent reason. Therefore, when 13-year old Sara (not her real name) from Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan took her school report home to her parents, they were shocked to learn that the top-performing student had failed her final exams and would not advance to the next level. But there was no longer a next level for Sara, even if she had passed.

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Experts, Rights Groups Warn of Crisis of Obstetric Violence

2026-03-30T09:21:22-07:00

BRATISLAVA, March 30 (IPS) - Government and medical professionals must implement systematic changes to deal with a “crisis” of obstetric violence (OV) across Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA), experts and rights campaigners have said.

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CSW70: Women’s Equality under Siege

2026-03-30T08:54:22-07:00

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay / BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 30 (IPS) - On 19 March, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) did something unprecedented in its eight-decade history: it held a vote. The Trump administration, having spent two weeks attempting to defer, amend and ultimately block the session’s main outcome document, known as the agreed conclusions, cast the only vote against its adoption. That dissenting vote said a lot, as it came from the world’s most powerful government, backed by financial leverage, bilateral reach and a network of anti-rights states and organisations that are making inroads at many levels.

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Escalating Violence and Influx of Returnees in DRC Fuel Regional Instability

2026-03-27T08:59:36-07:00

UNITED NATIONS, March 27 (IPS) - In the month following the reopening of the Burundi-Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) border, the humanitarian crisis in the DRC has deteriorated considerably, recently marked by an influx of Congolese refugees returning home, where they face overcrowded conditions and a severe shortage of essential services. This comes in the midst of escalating clashes between rebel groups AFC and M23, and forces affiliated with the Kinshasa government, with drone strikes causing widespread destruction and pushing violence closer to Burundi’s borders, where conditions are most dire.

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Iran War: Winners and Losers

2026-03-26T06:52:40-07:00

NEW JERSEY, USA, March 26 (IPS) - Who benefits from a war of choice against Iran? The immediate political winners may include President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But if the war continues for a longer period, the political consequences for both Trump and Netanyahu could be uncertain. However, the most consistent beneficiaries are defense contractors, defense manufacturers and military lobbyists, who profit regardless of the outcome.

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‘The Political System Only Moves When Threatened Directly’

2026-03-23T09:28:10-07:00

CIVICUS discusses Nepal’s upcoming election with youth activist Anusha Khanal of the Gen Z Movement Alliance, a youth-led civil society coalition mobilising for democratic accountability and governance reform in Nepal.

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