“Sweet 16” marriages are a cause of controversy in Malawi. Credit: Claire Ngozo/IPS
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 11 2012 (IPS) – The United Nations has launched a global campaign to abolish an anachronistic social practice still prevalent in some communities around the world: child marriages.
International conventions declare that child marriage is a violation of human rights because it denies girls the right to decide when and with whom to marry, says a released Thursday by the U.N.Population Fund (UNFPA).
The launch also marked the first International Day of the Girl Child Oct. 11 as designated by the 193-member General Assembly last year in order to recog…
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the needs of the ageing population in various African countries were not adequately addressed. However, since the pandemic a recent survey has shown that the pandemic has further compounded the existing health challenges, further increasing neglect of older persons.Credit: Dolphin Emali/IPS
Nearly three quarters of respondents in a survey across 18 African countries have claimed that their countries’ COVID-19 responses are gravely lacking in addressing the ageing population.
The survey, conducted by the Stakeholder Group on Ageing (SGA) Africa, found that factors such as inadequate social protection, health care infrastr…