Gender Issues

The making of the Hyogo2 disaster prevention treaty

JOHANNESBURG, 17 May 2013 (IRIN Global) - A month after the Indian Ocean tsunami struck in December 2004, affecting millions, 168 countries signed on to a 10-year plan to make the world safer from natural hazards. Yet the plan, the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015, focused primarily on “what to do to prevent disasters, but not enough on how to implement it,” says Neil McFarlane, chief coordinator and head of all regional programmes at the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). full report

Microcredit helps small businesses buck the system in Madagascar

 TOLIARA, 16 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - Justine Sija, 60, begins her day at 4am, when she buys catch from local fishermen to hawk on the streets of St Augustin Village, in Madagascar’s southern Atsimo-Andrefana Region. The work is hard, but in the last year, access to microcredit has boosted both her business and her hope for the future. full report

Circumcision plans go awry in Swaziland

 MBABANE, 13 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - It was an ambitious plan to circumcise the majority of men in Swaziland, an effort to reduce the risk of HIV transmission in a country with the world's highest HIV prevalence. How could it have gone wrong? full report

Analysis: Towards increased services for Syrian survivors of sexual violence

 NIZIP, 8 May 2013 (IRIN Middle East) - Turkey's camps for Syrian refugees are, by many measures, a model of humanitarian assistance. But one important detail appears to have been overlooked: According to aid workers, nowhere in Turkey's 17 refugee camps can survivors of sexual violence find the level of specialized psychosocial support experts say they so desperately need. full report

“Super-fly” threatens “Rambo” cassava, food security

 JOHANNESBURG, 7 May 2013 (IRIN Global) - A tiny, rapidly breeding cyanide-munching insect, dubbed a “super-fly” by scientists, is threatening the food security of millions of Africans. full report

Women yet to regain their place

 DUBAI, 6 May 2013 (IRIN Middle East) - In the 1980s, Iraqi women enjoyed more basic rights than their counterparts in the region; today, despite steps taken after decades of conflict and sanctions, Iraqi women do not have equal educational or employment opportunities, and many are subjected to gender-based violence. full report

Countering the radicalization of Kenya's youth

 NAIROBI, 6 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - Unemployment, poverty and political marginalization are contributing to the Islamic radicalization of Kenya's youth, a situation experts say must be addressed through economic empowerment and inclusive policies. full report

Little support, no justice for Mali rape survivors

 GAO/BAMAKO, 6 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - During the rebel takeover of northern Mali in April 2012, many women said they were subjected to rape or sexual assault. Since then, little or no support has come through for these women, say aid workers. full report

Floods highlight disaster management challenges in Kenya

 ISIOLO, 24 April 2013 (IRIN Africa) - Assistance to thousands of flood-affected families in Kenya has been curtailed by lack of a national disaster management body, poor coordination, poor rural infrastructure and other challenges. full report

Iraq 10 years on: the humanitarian impact

 BAGHDAD/DUBAI, 23 April 2013 (IRIN Middle East) - Ten years after the toppling of Iraq’s former leader Saddam Hussein, human development statistics – flawed as they are – paint a complex portrait of a country that has seen improvement over the last decade, but is still largely struggling. full report

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