A joint report by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights and the charity Young Lives has revealed that the number of child brides in India’s urban areas – including in some urban districts of Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka – are on the rise. The study, which relies on Census 2011 data, found that even though the number has declined by 0.7% in rural areas since 2001, there has been a rise of 0.3% in India’s cities and towns, challenging the commonly held belief that the practice of child marriage is largely prevalent in the country’s rural areas. According to a Thompson Reuters Foundation report, the study is the first to break down census data on child marriage and claims that nearly one in four girls in rural areas and one in five in urban areas were married before the age of 18. Renu Singh, the country director of Young Lives, told Reuters that…

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Tuesday, hosted the leader of a Nigerian female movement group on social media called “females in Nigeria” (FIN) in Chicago. Mrs Lola Omotola founded FIN in the year 2005, with the motive of gathering 1000 women from across the country to teach them to stand for each in love and trust, while helping to pursue each other’s goal through humanitarian support irrespective of tribe, beliefs, religion, profession and status. FIN is also a platform where these women come together to discuss issues related to marriage, sex, health issues and work problem, without criticisms or judgment. Fortunately, the group recently hit one million members exceeding its original target and has attracted Mr Mark’s attention. As a result of the positive result, Mr. Mark has decided to meet with many other Facebook group admins including Mrs Lola, who have been building positive Facebook communities in a summit…

In a recent campaign event in Wolverhampton, Prime Minister Theresa May talked about “strong and stable” leadership during Brexit. Ms. May was also asked a question she might not have expected. “Prime Minister, you say you’ll be a ‘difficult woman’ when it comes to these Brexit negotiations, but isn’t it true that you’ve also had a difficult election over your social care policy? “It has worried voters and polling suggests that female voters are turning away from you. Are you a female prime minister with a women problem?” Ms. May laughed. She replied that the Conservatives will take away risk on social care, allow older people to keep their homes by implementing a cap on what how much they will have to pay for care. Ms. May was accused last week of making a U-turn on social care by implementing a cap on how much people should pay, after her…

Liberia’s Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Julia Duncan Cassell says the untapped potential of women in health has undermined the contribution they could make to effective leadership for health systems strengthening globally. Minister Cassell attributed this approach to what she observed as the low representation of women in health leadership which has significant implications for population health. Speaking at the International Council of Nurses Program at the 2017 Congress and share experience on sustainable healthcare and empowering women under the theme, “Nurses at the Forefront Transforming Care” in Barcelona Spain on Monday, May 29, Minister Cassell said leaderships in health require unique competencies to compete with their male counterparts. She asserted that having women leaders in nursing can help motivate student nurses on how to unlock their potentials by identifying the challenges, highlighting role models, and sharing successful strategies used to become effective health leaders. “I want to…

Japanese lawmakers reached an accord Tuesday on a resolution to study letting women remain in the Imperial family and establish their own branches after marriage. The draft resolution, to be added to a bill designed to pave the way for Emperor Akihito’s abdication, says that the creation of female-led family branches is “an important matter that cannot be postponed.” It calls for discussion to begin quickly after the legislation is implemented and for the results to be reported speedily to the Diet. Current law stipulates that female Imperial family members who wed commoners lose their royal status. This version of the resolution was presented Monday by Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Tsutomu Sato, chairman of the lower house’s Committee on Rules and Administration. The heads of the committee’s contingents from the ruling LDP and the opposition Democratic Party agreed on the draft Tuesday. The ruling coalition aims to have the committee…

Women and men alike came out en masse to vote for their choice candidates in the just concluded presidential elections in Iran. Voters have said that beyond the polls, the winner will influence not only Iran’s immediate future but also the looming battle to choose a new Supreme Leader Millions of Iranians have voted in a bitterly contested presidential election that has pitted hardliners against reformers and is expected to set the country’s direction for a generation. Supporters determined to hold on to those changes flocked to voting stations across more liberal areas of the capital, Tehran, where hundreds welcomed their reformist political heroes with a frenzy saved for film or rock stars in other countries. A sea of smartphones and chants of “We love you” greeted politicians and turbaned clerics throughout the morning, as they cast votes in a memorial hall favored by prominent reformers. The incumbent, President Hassan…

Orlando Herran, the Colombian lawyer for the accused Australian drug mule, has told Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes program that Sainsbury and her family was threatened before she boarded the plane. The 22-year-old is currently detained in a Colombian prison for allegedly smuggling 5.8 kilograms of cocaine in 18 boxes of headphones. Cassie Sainsbury has claimed a mystery man threatened to kill her family before she was caught with 5.8kg of cocaine in a Colombian airport. Orlando Herran stated that the 22-year-old was in financial trouble after problems with her fitness business when she answered a Craigslist ad offering a loan and trip to London. He said the itinerary was changed at the last minute before Sainsbury met a mystery man, who showed her pictures of her family and fiance and made threats in Colombia. “If you don’t get to fly we will be threatening or killing your family or…