Archive for March 2018
Myanmar refugees: What gets you through the day?
We asked refugees from Myanmar now living in camps in Bangladesh what gets them through the day. All of them fled from violence and unimaginable hardship. Within minutes, they had to leave everything behind. Six months later, this is what they say: “We had to leave all of our cooking pots behind. I received this…
Read MoreMyanmar refugees: A young girl's determination
“Dad,” she whispers into her sister’s ear, “Say ‘dad’,” she reiterates and tries to hide a smile, knowing that she is prompting her sister’s reply. When Asia is asked what she misses most about Myanmar, her little sister, Somira, cannot stop answering on behalf of her. The 9-year-old is a bundle of joy. She smiles…
Read MoreSky-high costs of violence against women shown in new global report as CARE calls for better prevention and response
(Geneva) — A new global report launched by the international relief and development organization, CARE International, estimates that violence against women (VAW) costs society upwards of two per cent of global GDP, and states that the problem is serious in low, middle and high income countries alike. “First and foremost, violence against women is a…
Read MoreMEDIA ADVISORY: International experts available to discuss Canada's role as women's rights champion at G7 and in humanitarian crises
Press advisory: International experts meet with government officials and hold press conference to discuss Canada’s role as a women’s rights champion at the G7 and in humanitarian crises. Date: Thursday, 22 March 2018 – 9:30AM Location: Charles Lynch Press Conference Room; Centre Block, Parliament Hill, Ottawa, ON, K1P 5A4 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made…
Read MoreCreating space for women in South Sudan
Joyce (whose name has been changed in this story to protect her privacy) is a shy woman in her late thirties. Late last year, her husband died suddenly, beginning a new and difficult chapter in her life. “My husband paid a dowry which means that I still belonged to his family despite his death,” says…
Read More‘The last seven years feel like 20’- Fatmeh echoes the sentiment of many Syrians
Civilians pay a heavy toll as the conflict enters its 8th year (Beirut) – “The last seven years feel like 20,” Fatmeh, a 23 year-old Syrian refugee living in Lebanon, is one of millions of Syrians who have been left homeless and in need of help, as the war still wreaks havoc in their country…
Read MoreSyria crisis enters eighth year: A mother’s wish
Amani is from a small town in Eastern Ghouta, Syria where all the houses were flattened to the ground due to the ongoing conflict. Her father and three of her uncles were killed in front of her very eyes. She recalls her aunt being beaten, raped and then executed under her gaze. While everyone from…
Read MoreDreaming for seven years: Fatmeh’s story
Fatmeh, her husband Mahmoud, and their two children live in a small ground floor room, in a poor neighbourhood littered with trash. Three mattresses cover the floor. In one corner, there’s a kitchen sink, and an old cooker next to a small fridge. Behind a rickety door is the bathroom. A single bulb hangs from…
Read MoreYemen: More than 3 million women and girls suffering the brunt of the ongoing conflict, warns CARE
More than 3.25 million women of reproductive age in Yemen are facing increased health and protection risks, the international aid organization CARE warns. Conditions for women and girls are deteriorating rapidly as the conflict in Yemen nears its fourth year. An estimated 1.1 million pregnant and lactating women are malnourished as lack of humanitarian access…
Read MoreCARE welcomes wide government support for first ever global treaty on ending violence and harassment at work
(Geneva) — Today, International Women’s Day, CARE welcomes the support from a majority of governments to establish a global treaty to end violence and harassment at work as made public in a new International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) report. “The news that the majority of governments favour an ILO Convention means a new global treaty is…
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