– As the world marks the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), the United Nations Population Fund has warned that 23 million additional girls in West and Central Africa could be subjected to the harmful practice by 2030 unless governments and partners sharply accelerate prevention efforts. The warning was issued Thursday…
Joint statement by the UNFPA Executive Director, UNICEF Executive Director, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Women Executive Director, WHO Director-General, and UNESCO Director-General on the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation In 2026 alone, an estimated 4.5 million girls – many under the age of five – are at risk…
– New estimates show that violence against women and girls remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations in the world – and that one of its fastest-growing frontiers is the digital space. Technology-facilitated gender-based violence includes online harassment, cyberstalking, image-based abuse, deepfake exploitation and coordinated digital attacks, and all of these are proliferating….
November 25 marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence — a civil society-led initiative calling for action to ensure that every woman and girl can live a life free from violence. The 2025 theme of “UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls” addresses one of the fastest-growing…
UN Women’s 16 Days of Activism campaign demands a world where technology is a force for equality – not harm. New York – The digital world promised connection and empowerment – but for millions of women and girls, it has become a world of abuse. Digital violence is spreading at alarming speed fueled by artificial intelligence, anonymity,…
WASHINGTON — Jeffrey Epstein referenced President Donald Trump in emails to his associate Ghislaine Maxwell and a journalist, claiming in one that Trump “knew about the girls,” according to emails released by House Democrats. Democrats on the House Oversight committee released three email chains, sent between 2011 and 2019, saying the documents came from the…
DOHA, Qatar – During the Second World Summit for Social Development, Spotlight Initiative hosted a Solutions Studio conversation to highlight strategies for addressing gender-based violence and to share best practices for driving collaboration on protecting the rights of women and girls. Spotlight Initiative Global Coordinator Erin Kenny introduced the session, which explored how to bring…
Doha, Qatar — During the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Spotlight Initiative and the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) hosted the side event ‘Invest in adequate social protection for women and girls to drive meaningful change across all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’. This session underscored the urgent need to strengthen universal, inclusive…
Adults were in the back seat at UN Headquarters on Friday as young women from across the world took over the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber to speak up for their rights in the face of conflict, climate change, and other challenges. Alongside senior officials from the UN community, they commemorated the International Day…
Dakar, Senegal, 10 October 2025 – To mark the International Day of the Girl, over 100 girls from West and Central Africa came together in Dakar for the West and Central Africa Girls’ Summit. Their message to presidents, policymakers, and the rest of the world is clear: “We want to be taken into account when our…
