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“I arrived with nothing but my life”: Women in South Sudan describe harrowing escape from violence
South Sudan
JONGLEI STATE, South Sudan – “I left at night, crawling to avoid the crossfire,” said Rachiel, a mother of seven from Baidit, in South Sudan’s Jonglei State. “It took me two days to reach safety – I arrived with nothing…
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From DMs to I dos: Five ways social media is reshaping child marriage
Nepal
UNITED NATIONS, New York – As the world goes digital, so does the ancient practice of child marriage.
Even as the Internet delivers knowledge about human rights directly to people’s screens, even as…
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Pregnant women and newborns suffer harshest fallout from attacks on critical infrastructure in Ukraine
Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine – “We had already started surgery – a Caesarean-section,” recalled Nataliia Heints, a senior doctor at the Kyiv Regional Perinatal Centre. “But at the beginning of the operation, the electricity went out.…
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Explainer – Survivors in the lead: How community resistance is key to ending female genital mutilation
UNITED NATIONS , New York – Female genital mutilation is known to be a violation of women’s and girls’ fundamental rights and to cause deep, lasting and often life-threatening physical and mental harm.
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“Displacement took more than my home”: Women and girls describe fleeing violence in northern Syria
Syrian Arab Republic
ALEPPO, Syrian Arab Republic – When fighting intensified near her neighbourhood in Aleppo, in northern Syria, Fatima and her family had to run. Now eight months pregnant and sheltering in a makeshift camp, the mother of…
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Inclusive care reaches survivors of gender-based violence in Indonesia
Indonesia
BREBES/SERANG/GARUT, Indonesia – “Inclusivity is not a luxury,” said Rita, a counsellor who works with women and children in need of protection in Serang, on the island of Java in Indonesia. “It is a necessity.”
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“It was tragic”: Women and health workers in Sudan describe fleeing El Fasher
Sudan
NORTH DARFUR STATE, Sudan – “In El Fasher, I couldn’t have any health check-ups because there were no hospitals left near us,” said Zainab, 26, who was pregnant during describing a brutal siege that lasted 18 months in…
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Midwives offer a ray of hope amid horror, as harsh winter grips Gaza
Palestine, State of
GAZA, The Occupied Palestinian Territory — When Rana learned she was pregnant, her joy was quickly overshadowed by another feeling – fear.
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Wrapping up 2025: Good news stories from a bad year
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Throughout 2025, the world read about the record number of conflicts and climate crises tearing apart countries and communities. We heard how steep cuts to humanitarian funding are spelling…
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From fear to gratitude at a maternity hospital in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – “When they placed a warm bundle on my chest and said, ‘It’s a girl,’ I couldn’t hold back the tears,” said 24-year-old Gulirano from Uzbekistan’s capital city, Tashkent. “That was my Khadicha.”
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5 ways UNFPA’s humanitarian work supports women and girls in the world’s biggest crises
UNITED NATIONS, New York – A new humanitarian appeal released today by UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, calls for US$ 1 billion in urgent funding for 2026 to support women and girls…
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With maternity centres under attack, more women are at risk of dying in pregnancy and childbirth in Ukraine
KHERSON/KYIV, Ukraine – In a neonatal unit at Kyiv Hospital, Anton* rests in a mobile incubator. He was born premature three days earlier, an occurrence that health workers say has become increasingly common.
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