Women's eNews (https://womensenews.org/author/joe-lauria/)
The recent mass rapes in a mineral-rich area of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo underscore the urgency of a new U.S. law to certify consumer goods free of “conflict minerals” tied to the violence. The law may be hard to enforce but supporters have high hopes.
Exclusive breastfeeding can decrease the risk of two of the deadliest war-related health threats children face, a recent study shows. Breastfeeding’s greatest impact on declining wartime deaths has been in sub-Saharan Africa, though more work is needed.
The U.N. has devised various programs to provide food and aid directly to women, who often get outmuscled by men during disaster situations. Relief efforts have become complicated as many Haitian female leaders who worked with U.N. agencies were lost during the earthquake.
After Michele Montas’ husband was slain for his journalistic work in Haiti, she went on the air to proclaim his spirit still alive and use her microphone to criticize the murder investigation.
As the 48th annual meeting of the U.N. Conference on the Status of Women winds down, participants are dismayed by the weak implementation of a 2000 resolution calling for special protection to women and children in conflict.
Barbara Seaman has made a career out of investigating the health hazards of hormonal medicine. In our Journalist of the Month profile, we look at what inspired her work and the success of her efforts.