Lloyd’s Gets Female CEO; Hot Irons Used on Teens
Lloyd’s of London has appointed its first ever female chief executive. Also this week, many mothers in Cameroon are still using hot irons or stones to flatten their daughters’ breasts.
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Mariane Pearl Reflects on Launch of Intl Girls’ Day
Mariane Pearl, an internationally-known journalist, is a leading figure in the first ever celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child. In an interview, the 45-year-old mother of one spotlights education as the most important goal.
U.S. HIV-AIDS Policy Sidelines Sex Workers
The problem is widespread vagueness about the U.S. funding guidelines and an anti-prostitution pledge. This has hurt sex workers; the people who could most benefit from U.S. foreign aid and are best placed to turn the tide of the epidemic.
Childbirth Victims Shunned as Witches in Cameroon
Her sister says a young mother died in childbirth because she did not receive proper medical care in Cameroon, a country with high maternal mortality. But village leaders, in accordance with custom, called her a witch and denied a proper burial.
Matrilineal Custom Puts Cameroonian Widows in Limbo
It’s not legal for property to flow to the son of the sister of the deceased. But that’s the inheritance custom of one clan in Cameroon, where many people speak out against a system that can actually be worse for women than a patrilineal system.
Political Scouts Recruiting in Northwest Cameroon
In Cameroon’s Northwest Province, female elected representatives are in particularly short supply. Citizens, advocates, local officials and newly minted female candidates are trying to make 2012 the year to change that.
Cameroon Rape Victims Confront Legal Gauntlet
Rape victims in Cameroon can get medical treatment at hospitals and file a police report to set a case in motion, but providing evidence to prove that rape occurred can be difficult. Others don’t report incidents at all because of poverty or shame.
Cameroon’s Kah Walla Presses Her Presidential Bid
Cameroon’s sole female candidate in the October presidential elections isn’t letting kidnapping or water cannons stop her. She says her most solid support comes from young people and she’s trying to rouse the women’s vote.
Cameroon Loses Ground on Maternal Health Goal
Cameroon has pledged to reduce its maternal deaths by 75 percent from 1990 levels, but compared with that year, more women are now dying. Last year the government joined a regional campaign to accelerate progress on this key development goal.
Violence Linked to Rapid Rise of AIDS in Women
Health officials at a global AIDS conference in Mexico City this week highlighted the growing feminization of the pandemic and its link to gender violence. The U.N. may form a women’s agency that advocates say could mount a more effective response.
