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Welcome to the archives of News Deeply’s Women & Girls Hub. While we paused regular publication of the site on January 22, 2018, and transitioned our coverage to Women’s Advancement Deeply, we are happy to serve as an ongoing public resource on the Arctic. We hope you’ll enjoy the reporting and analysis that was produced by our dedicated community of editors contributors.
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Girls make up between 30-40 percent of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They face greater stigma than boys when trying to reintegrate into their communities, but demobilization programs are not taking their specific needs into account, experts say.
Sarah Hodin Project Coordinator, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Women and Health Initiative and Maternal Health Task Force
Kayla McGowan Project Coordinator, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Women and Health Initiative and Maternal Health Task Force
Mary Nell Wegner Executive Director, Maternal Health Task Force at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Vandana Tripathi Deputy Director, Fistula Care Plus Project at EngenderHealth
Four maternal health experts come together to examine how fistula, while known to be treatable by surgery, is also caused by unsafe surgical techniques, and what the global health community can do about it.
While the world focuses on sexual violence perpetrated by clashing groups in conflict zones, researchers are warning that the real danger to women is being ignored: violence from their husbands, fathers and other men they know.
North Kivu has the lowest rates of birth registration in the DRC, with only 5 percent of children having access to the legal document that allows them to attend school and potentially escape being married off young.
Through his holistic approach to treating women who have been subject to sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dr. Denis Mukwege not only heals their wounds, but also helps survivors find the strength they need to fight for justice.
Using the Brazilian martial art that combines dance, chanting and acrobatics, one initiative is teaching Congolese children to overcome the violence they’ve grown up with through self-confidence and respect.
Inhabited by various rebel groups fighting the conflict in DRC, Virunga National Park is a dangerous place to work. As rangers risk their lives to protect the park’s animals, a local project helps provide support and financial security for the women left behind.
Of the 25,000 street children in Congo’s capital, the majority are young men. But while boys can make money through manual labor, girls often find that prostitution and exploitation are their only options for survival.
More than 800 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. By bringing ultrasounds to Democratic Republic of Congo’s rural communities, the See Your Baby project helps women get treatment before their conditions turn fatal.
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