DFID is working to give girls and women choice, voice and control over their lives. Across the developing world, women and girls bear a disproportionate burden of poverty - but we know when we invest in girls, they have the potential to transform their prospects, their communities and the world. In these blogs various voices will show why this is important and how the UK is helping.
Adolescent girls can play an enormous role in bringing about sustainable development. But for too long their rights and potential have been overlooked by world leaders, and this has held back development and equality. At last international momentum is building …
Last week was my first visit to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), an annual event that has been held at the UN since 1946. Over 100 ministers and 8000 civil society advocates attended, with events ranging from …
So many of the ways in which women and girls around the world must live their lives are simply taken for granted, never given a second thought. We all know that domestic tasks fall disproportionately on women. That is as …
Women with disabilities often face double discrimination – because they are female, and because they have disabilities. If they are from a minority group, elderly, or are gay, they may face multiple discrimination. But this discrimination can become still worse …
I had a moment of dizzying clarity during a visit to The Gambia last month, when policy lines revisited in briefings, meetings and documents burst back into life, regained their power and gave a renewed sense of purpose to my …
Coming back from Latvia from a conference on women and sustainable development last week, a voice welcomed us on to Ryanair. “This is your captain speaking”, she said. Familiar enough words, but less so from a woman. In the week …
We often associate FGM with the harmful physical effects suffered by more than 125 million women worldwide. There is much less awareness about the psychological effects that can haunt a woman throughout her lifetime. I know from experience that sometimes …
Many girls’ and women’s faces in Mozambique will stay with me. But 3 of those faces had a particularly strong impact – those of Isalinha, Ana, and especially a young mother in Manica province, whose name I may never know. …
“I feel more and more that I am no longer alone and that the entire world is supporting me.” – Mah Cissé A year ago, 14 communities in Bamako, Mali, declared an end to Female Genital Cutting (FGC). Mah Cissé, …
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a human rights abuse. The practice seriously damages the physical and mental health of women and girls around the world, and can even cause death. When I began my African Well Woman’s Clinic at Guy’s …
Recent Comments