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Amid conflict, displacement, pandemic, Syrian girls see a future in… robots
Syrian Arab Republic
Bana, 12, fled her hometown, the city of Aleppo, before the Syrian conflict engulfed her neighbourhood. It was the first of two times she and her family would have to flee violence before settling down here, in…
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A pandemic-born programme bolsters local health systems in Brazil
Brazil
The boat to Santa Cruz do Arari leaves Belém, the capital of Pará state in northern Brazil, at 6 a.m. every day. It is November – dry season – so the river is low, and the boat carrying the UNFPA team can only go as far…
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Amid pandemic and unrest, midwives undeterred in saving lives in Conakry
It has been a harrowing year for the midwives of Guinea.
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Three girls, three stories: The perils of child marriage and the promise of freedom
How much is a girl worth? If you are Maja, the answer is a chicken, a six-pack of beer and €100. That is how much her family, living in a Roma settlement in Serbia, received in exchange for her hand “in marriage.” She…
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Pregnant women struggle to find support, stability after displacement from Tigray Region in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
“When you think about your future, you never plan to be uprooted from the comfort of your home," Hiwot* told UNFPA.
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Reformed cutters protect the next generation from female genital mutilation in Kenya
Kenya
More than 10,000 girls over 30 years. That’s how many girls three women here cut in female genital mutilation (FGM) rituals – almost one girl a day, every day, spanning three decades.
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As global cases of COVID-19 hit grim milestones and exacerbate other crises, UNFPA strengthens resolve to save lives
On January 27, the number of coronavirus cases reached a staggering 100 million worldwide. Earlier, on January 15, deaths attributed to the virus numbered two million. Those aren’t the only figures heading in the wrong…
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Child marriage, female genital mutilation urgent priorities as pandemic threatens progress
Tens of millions of girls are watching their girlhoods end, not with storybook romance but with harmful rites of passage such as child marriage and female genital mutilation.
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The diplomatic community lends a hand to help women’s shelters in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
As in many parts of the world, the eight women’s shelters across the country saw rising numbers of survivors of violence seeking refuge during the pandemic.
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2020 Year in Review: Top 5 stories affecting women and girls
It comes as no surprise that Merriam-Webster declared “pandemic” the word of the year. The biggest stories all stemmed from one story: COVID-19, a disease that affected the respiratory system, was transmitted by breath…
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Mongolian women get help to escape violence even amid pandemic
Mongolia
When Dulam* first sought help from a one-stop service centre in northern Mongolia, she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
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After years of conflict, Yemen remains the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, a UNFPA 2021 appeal shows
A new Humanitarian Action Overview report released by UNFPA names Yemen as the country where the needs of women and girls in humanitarian emergencies are greatest.
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