SUDAN: Southern Women Struggle for Justice
IRIN reported on 6 October that if there is one group that faces special challenges in Southern Sudan, it is women. Principal among them is gender-based violence (GBV), which is under-reported and spreading given the long history of conflict, certain traditional practices and weak judicial systems, say specialists. Among the key obstacles to tackling GBV in Lakes State, according to UNFPA, is Southern Sudanese women's preference for dealing with cases of sexual and reproductive rights violations through customary law. A recent report by the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Rift Valley Institute noted that "at the local level, the boundaries between customary chiefs' courts and government courts -- and between customary and statutory law - are blurred.” Read: IRIN
PARAGUAY: “Morning After Pill” Prevents Pregnancy
ABC published a column by Cinthia Lopez on 6 October on the emergency contraceptive known as the “morning after pill.” The pill is the only contraceptive method available and permitted for use to prevent unintended pregnancy resulting from unprotected sex, according to UNFPA Sexual and Reproductive Health Officer Adriane Salinas Bomfim, who emphasized that the pill does not cause abortion, but instead prevents pregnancy up to several days after unprotected sex. Read in Spanish: ABC
PARAGUAY: Logo Design Contest For the 2012 Census
La Nación reported on 6 October that the General Directorate of Statistics and Census announced a logo design contest for the next National Census of Population and Housing 2012, which has the support of UNFPA. Read in Spanish: La Nacion
PAKISTAN: CONTINUING COVERAGE ON PAKISTAN FLOODING AND RESPONSE
Xinhua (China) reported on 6 October on an interview with Henia Dakkak, senior reproductive health adviser for UNFPA's humanitarian response branch. Lactating, delivering and pregnant women are the most vulnerable at the moment, Ms. Dakkak noted. "The situation for women and children is really bad. We have to do targeted supplemental feeding for them because otherwise we will not be able to help them survive." As part of its emergency response, UNFPA has provided reproductive health medicines, women's hygiene kits, newborn and clean delivery kits to serve thousands of women in need. Despite efforts in delivering humanitarian aid, the sheer scale of the disaster "makes whatever supplies we deliver seem like a drop in the ocean," said Ms. Dakkak. "The reality is no matter how hard we are working to respond to the needs, the needs are too huge, the response is too slow compared to the needs," she added. Read: Xinhua
International News Network reported on 5 October that a spokesman from the Health Department Punjab has clarified a news item published in a Section of Press and said that the department has been providing all necessary medicines to the flood effected districts including anti-biotic, anti-allergy, anti-hypertensive, ear and eye drops and skin ointments/ creams. The spokesman added that UNICEF and UNFPA are collaborating with the Health Department in this process. Moreover, WHO kits are being provided in these areas. He further said that surveillance of disease trend and the supply of medicine is also being conducted by the Health Department as well as various agencies including WHO.
ECUADOR: Ecuadorians Are Happier
El Comercio reported 6 October that the level of happiness of Ecuadorians has increased between 2007 and 2009, according to data released yesterday by the Ecuadorian Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC). "For this, INEC, in conjunction with the National Secretariat of Planning and Development and UNFPA, has developed a series of workshops called “Measuring the Good Life,” in order to generate these indicators with the participation of technicians, researchers and experts in the field.” Read in Spanish: El Comercio
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Improvements in Education, Child Survival But Greater Efforts Needed – UN
UN News Centre reported on 6 October that the Democratic Republic of Congo has made significant progress in education and child survival in recent years, but much more needs to be done to achieve the anti-poverty MDGs, according to a new United Nations-backed study. Three out of four children now go to school, a 23 per cent increase over 2000 with near parity for girls and boys, the fourth Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), a core research tool for UNICEF, reported. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Planning, the MICS was conducted by the National Institute of Statistics with technical and financial support from UNICEF and contributions from the UN World Food Programme, UNFPA and USAID. It found overall inequalities in the DRC, with indicators worst for the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach women and children. Read: UN News Centre
CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE): Towards Enhanced Data Collection And Management
Congo-site reported on 6 October on a workshop held at UNFPA’s representation in Congo on the establishment of a coordination mechanism at the National Statistics Institute to establish a consolidated databases system (IMIS) in Congo. Participants’ capacity was strengthened in the area of managing a central database that will gather socio-demographic data available in the country. In his closing remarks, UNFPA Representative David Lawson said, "The end of this workshop opens up a new page for the Nations Statistics Institute, in an environment whereby national and international partners are keen on strengthening data collection, analysis and systems to benefit from valid data to measure progress towards the MDGs, and cautious about costs for data collection operations. We will now be able to benefit from a repository data system." Read in French: Congo-Site