Global Women’s News: What We’re Reading in November

November brought a variety of news and reports affecting women and girls every day all over the world. We read about investing in education for African children, rape and child marriage in India, and a genocide survivor’s journey out of Iraq. In sharing a roundup of articles, we hope to bring awareness to these important topics.

Mandela widow: girls’ education holds the key to Africa’s future

BBC
In an interview with Graca Machel, she advises governments and ALL of us to invest in Africa’s Youth or miss out on 21st-century development. The 2018 Africa Report on Child Wellbeing, produced by the African Child Policy Forum, an organization chaired by Machel, warns that if neglected, by 2050, Africa could become the continent of a billion angry, underfed, undereducated and underemployed young people.

FGM rates in east Africa drop from 71% to 8% in 20 years, study shows

The Guardian
The number of girls undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM) has dropped from 71.4% in 1995, to 8% in 2016. Although global FGM rates are falling, increasing numbers of girls will be living in countries where FGM remains prevalent by 2030. While rates of FGM are falling in many areas, this downward trend could easily be reversed.

Stats about girls in India are alarming. Meet 18-year-old Anjali.

The Lily, published by The Washington Post
In India, 39,000 rapes were reported in the country in 2016, more than 19,000 of which were child rapes. While the incidence of child marriage is going down, 17 million girls aged 10 – 19 are still being married off. Anjali is an 18-year-old in Uttar Pradesh, in central India. Live a day in her life.

Nadia Murad Is Speaking Up For Victims Of Sexual War Crimes

Forbes
The documentary film “On Her Shoulders” follows 23-year-old Nadia Murad’s journey from surviving the 2014 Yazidi genocide by ISIS in Iraq to emerging as a leading global voice against human rights violations, putting the bravest possible face on atrocious war crimes, courage, and resilience. In October 2018, Murad was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her bold fight against genocide and sexual violence.

Opinion: Menstrual hygiene management matters — period

Devex
Half the world menstruates during a significant part of their lives. 300 million women and girls have their period on any given day — and yet menstruation is still shrouded in myth and misconception, and menstruating women and girls are often excluded and stigmatized. In India, 50 percent of girls have no idea what is happening when they bleed for the first time. Learn more about why sexual and reproductive health education matters.