By: Lilian Namagembe According to the 2016 Uganda population HIV/Aids Impact Assessment (UPHIA) survey, the adult HIV prevalence is higher among women at 7.5 per cent compared to 4.3 per cent among men. The survey, which was conducted from August 2016 to March 2017 from 12,483 households states that it achieved very high participation rates of over 95 per cent for both interviews and blood draws. “A total of 16,670 women and 12,354 men aged 15-64 years were interviewed and tested for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B,” the report reads in part. HIV prevalence is also highest among women in the age groups of 35 to 39 years and 45 to 49 years, at 12.9 per cent and 12.8 per cent respectively. The report also states that among women and men, HIV prevalence declined from 8.3 per cent and 6.1 per cent in 2011 to 7.5 per cent and…

An estimated 65 per cent of more than 1,700 female inmates in Jordan’s prisons are held under the 60-year-old law, according to the Sisterhood Is Global Institute (SIGI), a women’s rights charity. In a secret shelter in the Jordanian capital Amman, 52-year-old Fatima runs a hand over the scar that has shaped her life. Almost 30 years ago, her father shot her and her sister to “cleanse the family’s honour” after her younger sibling got pregnant out of wedlock and he deemed it necessary for both daughters should pay the price. “When they shot my sister she died,” said Fatima, who declined to give her real name for fear of reprisals. “When they started on me, our neighbours informed the police… I remained in the hospital for six to seven months, then the police came and put me in prison.” Fatima remained in prison for 22 years under a law…

The upcoming 3-day Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad, likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been tagged “a big event”, with the presence of US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump. Business leaders from across the globe, along with entrepreneurs and investors, will be in attendance. India and the US will co-host the three-day event. The American delegation will be led by Ivanka. A US official confirmed that the event slated for November 28 will have “high-level” participation from the Government of India. The Prime minister is likely to be in attendance following his tweet on the subject. “Look forward to Ivanka Trump’s presence at GES 2017 Hyderabad as the leader of the US delegation,” Modi said in a tweet last week. He said the event is aimed to bring together entrepreneurs of the two countries. The leader of the United States delegation Ivanka Trump also said…

By: Amanda Gouws, Stellenbosch University South Africa celebrated Women’s Day on August 9th to mark the day in 1956 when 20,000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to insist on their rights. Women’s Day provides an opportune moment to reflect on what it would mean for South Africa to be governed by a woman president after the 2019 elections. Three women from the governing African National Congress are running as candidates – Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Baleka Mbete and Lindiwe Sisulu. Because voters vote for a party, the President is elected by the members of parliament. The ANC holds the majority vote, which means that the president will most likely be an ANC candidate. All three women are ANC stalwarts who can be considered as part of the exile generation. They were all active in the liberation struggle, and all have contributed to the country since the…

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani recently has brought three women into the government, one day after being criticized on social media for submitting an all-male list of cabinet members to parliament for approval. Massoumeh Ebtekar, head of Iran’s Department of Environment in Rouhani’s first term, was appointed vice president for women and family affairs. Laya Joneidi was named vice president for legal affairs while Shahindokht Molaverdi was made the president’s assistant for civil rights. Rouhani had mentioned the importance of women’s rights in campaign speeches before the presidential election in May when he was re-elected. The appointments are likely to tamp down some of the criticism that Rouhani faced from supporters on Tuesday when he failed to announce any female ministers in his cabinet. One widely-circulated post on social media showed Rouhani with his new all-male cabinet cast in a photo in front of a government building – with a huge…

By: Miracle Nwankwo In the light of several statements on the need for gender parity across regions, the CEO of YouTube Susan Wojcicki, has lent her voice while dispelling the notion that the tech job is not befitting for women. She said this in a column while reacting to a contentious discussion written in a memo on how the tech job is not befitting for a woman and how women are more unstable than men. This statement is a bigger blow to the womanhood, even with the increased rate of women participation in the tech world. In the column sent to Fortune, Susan started by quoting her daughters questions during a conversation they had after she saw the news. “Mom, is it true that there are biological reasons why there are fewer women in tech and leadership?” She continued by sharing her experiences and the difficulties she has been facing…

Recognizing women are high-spend travelers in their own right, Thai Airways International has recently launched an initiative to support the Women’s Journey Thailand campaign 2017. THAI is backing the month-long campaign to emphasize female travel with a special counter decked out in a ‘pink lady’ theme. The Tourism Authority of Thailand re-launched the campaign following the success of its 2016 campaign that offered special privileges for female travelers. THAI participated in the event by opening check-in counter row B09, decked out in a “Pink Lady Theme” to serve women customers traveling in all cabin classes and for every flight departing SWB, 0500 to 2000, for the month of August. The airline also offering women exclusive discounted fares for travel bookings made this month. Thailand celebrates the birthday of HM Queen Sirikit, 12 August, which is also Mother’s Day. Source: TTR