The UN reproductive health agency UNFPA on Tuesday described women and girls across the Democratic Republic of the Congo as “one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises,” facing widespread insecurity, rising sexual violence, and severely disrupted life-saving services. Speaking to journalists at the Geneva UN Office after her visits to Kinshasa and Goma, UNFPA Director [...]

The Portugese parliament passed a controversial bill on Friday banning face coverings worn for gender or religious reasons in most public places. The legislation, proposed by the far-right Chega party, specifically targets Islamic garments such as the burqah, a full-body garment that covers a woman’s head to foot with a mesh screen for sight, and the [...]

Human Rights Watch on Wednesday condemned the excessive use of force by Moroccan security forces to disperse protesters, raising concerns over human rights violations during mass youth-led demonstrations demanding sweeping reforms to public services. The protests have been met with a heavy-handed response from authorities, leaving several protesters injured or dead, and hundreds detained. The [...]