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Zika outbreak: Ensuring that sexual and reproductive health services are part of the response
Daniela Souza Batista, age 32, was in her third month of pregnancy when she first noticed she had symptoms of Zika virus. It was late spring 2015, early in the Zika outbreak and months before the possible link between…
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Zika virus: Frequently asked questions
In early 2016, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of Zika virus an international public health emergency. Currently, UNFPA is helping lead global efforts to promote widespread information about Zika…
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The chain of hope: Treating obstetric fistula in Cameroon
Due to complications during the birth of her 11th child, Zandelé Colette, now 56, underwent an emergency caesarean section. However, the procedure occurred too late to save the child, who died shortly after birth, and,…
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UNFPA and The Guardian present the first pan-African award for reporting on female genital mutilation
“My father forced me to get married to an older man almost his age. The old man gave him 20 cows. I tried to run away from that old man, but my father warned me that he would beat me to death if he was forced to return…
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Report from Yemen: Transforming the lives of women in a conflict zone
The nearly year-old conflict in Yemen has now embroiled 21 of the country’s 22 governorates, civilian casualties are increasingly common, food is in short supply and many hospitals, police stations and other…
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Say #IDONT to fight child marriage this Valentine's Day
Standing several inches shy of her middle-aged groom’s shoulder, the 12-year-old bride, outfitted in a child-size white wedding gown and veil, stiffly clutches a small bouquet, as a photographer snaps the newlyweds…
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A silent epidemic: The fight to end female genital mutilation in Colombia
“When I was 9 years old, my mother told me that three of her sisters died because her grandmother practiced female genital mutilation (FGM),” says Patricia Tobon Yagarí, an Emberá indigenous lawyer from Colombia.
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Flight from Syria: The story of one child bride
In late 2013, Haneen, now 14, fled Syria with her parents and 10 siblings. As her family made its way to the Turkish border, her father sustained injuries that left him paralyzed. Fearing he could no longer feed his 11…
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Changing the dialogue: Speaking out against female genital mutilation in Indonesia
“There really is no religious postulate for female circumcision, neither from the Al Quran nor from the prophet’s sayings,” said Indonesia’s former First Lady Sinta Nuriyah Wahid’s, as she explained to the attendees of…
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