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Majority of maternal deaths take place in crises and fragile conditions
Updated figures released by the United Nations yesterday revealed that the global maternal death ratio has dropped 44 per cent since 1990, but too many women continue to die needlessly, and a majority of them are dying…
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Phone line answers burning questions of Afghan youth
Afghanistan
A team of doctors are answering adolescents' questions at the Youth Health Line, the first-ever phone line designed to provide sensitive health information and assistance to Afghan youth.
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Reaching pregnant women, new mothers in wake of Typhoon Koppu
Philippines
Relief and recovery efforts are ongoing in the Philippines as floodwaters from Typhoon Koppu, known locally as Typhoon Lando, continue to recede. Among those affected are hundreds of thousands of women and girls of…
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As Yemen conflict drags on, women’s vulnerability grows
Yemen
Conditions for Yemeni women and girls are deteriorating as the conflict in Yemen drags on. The stress and chaos of the crisis, coupled with entrenched gender inequality, have left women and girls extremely vulnerable to…
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Y-Peer Moldova brings sexual health education to vulnerable youth
Moldova, Republic of
“It is not easy at all for me to live alone,” Tudor told UNFPA. He has been living by himself since he was 13 years old, when the last of his family members moved abroad to work.
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Health experts call for renewed focus on maternal, child deaths
Haiti, Mexico
Despite global commitments, unacceptably large numbers of mothers and newborns continue to die during pregnancy and in the days following childbirth. Yet the actions needed to save these women and newborns are largely…
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Five of the greatest sexual health advances since the birth of the UN
The United Nations was founded 70 years ago. In that time, the world has seen enormous advances in sexual and reproductive health. These changes have helped policymakers recognize that healthy and empowered women are…
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Violence survivors find compassion, care at Cameroon's Listening Centre
Cameroon
How does one comfort the family of an abused adolescent girl, or assist a pregnant survivor of sexual assault? In Batouri, in eastern Cameroon, these difficult tasks are the responsibility of two Catholic priests, who…
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Grim but essential, autopsies are saving lives in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Something went terribly wrong when Asta Banu gave birth. Her labour seemed to take forever, and when the baby – a boy – was finally born, he was unresponsive.
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Before it’s too late: Doctors take on one of the deadliest places for women
Chad
Health workers are learning to improve maternal survival in one of the world’s deadliest places for mothers. In the corner is a makeshift delivery room, where pregnant mannequins wait in various stages of labour.…
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“Never, ever” again – a former circumciser calls for an end to FGM
Ethiopia
Asiya Hamed spent much of her life performing female genital mutilation (FGM) on girls in her community. She cannot remember how many girls she has cut, but she knows what the consequences have been.
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Girls’ rights: Goedele Liekens looks back on 15 years of progress
Today, on the International Day of the Girl Child, UNFPA’s Goodwill Ambassador Goedele Liekens reflects on how conditions have improved for girls’ health and rights over the last 15 years – and how much still has to be…
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