Articles about Gl Opinion And Commentary Service
Africa: Saving African women from Climate Change
16 December 11
Rita is a farmer in a village in the northern part of Ghana in West Africa where she grows food crops to feed herself and her six children. She started farming four decades ago when she inherited her farm from her father at age 15. [read more]
Zambia: A diary from a gender activist during Sixteen Days
16 December 11
Regional relevance: Zambia
It's five am, the day before the International Day of No Violence Against Women that kicks off the Sixteen days of Activism campaign. My alarm rings barely six hours after I arrive in the Zambian capital and I am in a panic as I will be speaking in a few hours about why we need better ways to measure gender violence. [read more]
16 Days Campaign Highlights: 20 years of 16 days of Activism, how far are we?
15 December 11
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the global Sixteen Days of Activism on gender violence campaign, and 10 years of the annual commemoration in Southern Africa. Each year during Sixteen Days, we stop and ponder achievements and accomplishments, and assess how much further still to go. [read more]
Celebrating a new generation of rights aware girls
14 December 11
It is almost the end of the day when, chatting with my work colleague Shuvai, she reminds me about an exciting debate the Gender Links' Justice Programme is hosting the following day, 1 December, to commemorate World AIDS Day. With so much to do during this period, to be honest the only reason why I agree to attend... [read more]
Small eco-business brings big changes for women
08 December 11
Regional relevance: International
The Sahara desert grows by the size of New Zealand every year, engulfing what was once fertile land and reducing the variety and volume of crops that can be grown in the Sahel region of Africa. Failing rains and unpredictable weather patterns mean that even in fertile areas crops often fail. [read more]
Safe spaces needed for sports and fitness
08 December 11
Regional relevance: South Africa
Healthy mind, healthy body – the two are undoubtedly linked. Yet incidents of sexual harassment and gender violence can hold back girls and women passionate about sport and fitness, either for fun and health, or as a career. [read more]
Matatu reforms – small step that made a big difference
07 December 11
Regional relevance: Africa
In almost every country in Africa, women complain about sexual harassment in public spaces. Perhaps one of the worst spaces, and one that most women and girls can’t avoid, is on public transport. [read more]
Churches can help combat GBV
07 December 11
Regional relevance: Malawi
The church in Malawi is a respected source of information and an enforcer of a “moral code,” so it plays a pivotal role in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV). Despite Malawi being a signatory of the 2008 SADC Protocol on Gender and Development and other gender-related protocols, the arduous task of... [read more]
Africa: A gender perspective on solar energy drawbacks
07 December 11
Regional relevance: International
Even as African countries join the rest of the world in Durban, South Africa to evaluate the impact of climate change on livelihoods, there are concerns about the use of solar energy, rapidly gaining popularity in African countries, which was once heralded as an environmental solution to energy needs. [read more]
Activism taking root in Zambia’s remote villages
07 December 11
Regional relevance: Zambia
It is 4 December 2011 around 4:30pm as I arrive in Katete district in Zambia’s Eastern Province as part of Gender Links Sixteen Days of Activism activities in rural communities. As I am disembarking from the bus, my phone rings. My colleague Faides is on the line, calling to update me on how the Sixteen Days... [read more]
