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For most vulnerable Nigerian women, high rates of traumatic birth injury
“One week after I delivered my second child, I realized that there was an issue,” Aisha told UNFPA from her hospital bed in Maiduguri, in north-east Nigeria. She had developed an obstetric fistula, a devastating…
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Trailblazing all-girl cricket tournament calls for bowling out child marriage
"I often watch boys playing cricket on this ground. But today I caught a glimpse of girl cricketers in action," said Irfan Darji, a 13-year-old spectator at the final match in a trailblazing girls’ tournament…
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In Cambodia, push to end maternal deaths in remote areas
RATANAKIRI, Cambodia – In the remote farming village of Sakreang, in Cambodia’s far north-east, Romam Pcheuk visits pregnant women in their homes. “I keep my eye on the girls who are pale, and those that get pregnant…
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A secret pregnancy in the Comoros: One teen’s story
Sara* was 17 when she found out she was pregnant. Living in a rural village in the Comoros, she carried the entire pregnancy in secret, and then gave birth in a hospital bathroom.
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Two wheelchairs and a stroller: Overcoming barriers to parenthood in Belarus
When Anya Shevko, 29, became pregnant, she had to weigh herself at a recycling centre because the local maternity clinic did not have suitable scales. Even visiting the clinic was difficult because Anya is in a…
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“Your voice is your weapon”: Taking on sexual harassment in Egypt
“Your fear is controlling you,” instructor Amany Abdel-Aal told a roomful of women at a Wen-Do self-defence class, held in a cheerfully painted youth centre on the outskirts of Cairo.
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Men take a stand against gender-based violence in Azerbaijan
Recent weeks have seen several high-profile cases of gender-based violence splashed across headlines. Millions of women around the world have demanded an end to these abuses – and, increasingly, people are calling for…
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Evacuees waiting to return home after Bali volcano alert
Escalating volcanic activity at Mount Agung in Bali prompted Indonesian authorities to issue an SOS alert, the highest-level warning, on 22 September. By 6 October, over 139,000 people had been evacuated.
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Gender inequality, lack of information fuel teen pregnancies in Timor-Leste
“I knew a little bit about how a baby is made, but not too much,” said Natalia, 19, in Aileu, the rocky highlands of Timor-Leste. Her 1-year-old daughter, Afeena, was sleeping nearby. “I had no education about this at…
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