December
December 2003
December
- Action and Contacts
Rights group comes to the rescue of widows
Moved by the rampant disinheritance of widows, a Lagos-based NGO has begun a programme to empower them economically.Toye Olori - South Africa
Government moves to stamp out sexual abuse
The increase in the number of rape cases in South Africa has forced authorities to launch an extensive battle against child abuse by among other efforts, drafting an anti-rape strategy.Charles Banda - Kenya
Sexual abuse continues unabated
Even with the enactment of the Children s Act in March 2002, sexual exploitation of children continues unabated with disastrous consequences, owing to a number of underlying factors.Esther Mwangi - Zambia
Child defilers to face castration
After 39 years without a child defilement policy and weak legislation, Zambians are now waking up to the worst form of human torture and the seriousness of the brutal crime of child defilement.Singy Hanyona - Zimbabwe
Children suffer in silence
There is a disturbing culture of silence that has resulted in many cases of child abuse going unreported at a time when such incidences are on the increase.Kholwani Nyathi - Kenya
Signs of hope as Aids fete is marked
The World Aids Day, marked since 1988 to raise both money and awareness for the pandemic, was celebrated in Kenya in style, with signs emerging that the country was on its way to win the war against the scourge.Zachary Ochieng - Zimbabwe
Churches introduce mandatory HIV testing
In a move bound to elicit unprecedented protests, the Pentecostal Assemblies of Zimbabwe, a grouping of 150 Pentecostal and evangelical churches, has embarked on a historic fight against HIV/AIDS by introducing mandatory testing for all its pastors, marriage officers and would-be couples.Kholwani Nyathi - Botswana
Routine AIDS testing introduced
While Botswana enjoys a stable political and economic environment, the country is sitting on a time bomb as the HIV/AIDS threatens to tear apart the sparsely populated Southern African country.Mqondisi Dube - Malawi
Child sexual assaults irk women activists
Parents, teachers and children in residential areas of Malawi s capital city, Lilongwe are living in perpertual fear as incidences of child-defilement, sexual molestation and child-killings are reported to be on the increase.Charles Banda - Rwanda
Sexual Harassment: A young woman s tale
The country s genocide of 1994 left many children homeless. With all the risks involved, they found refuge in the streets. Street life has exposed many of them especially the girl child to sexual exploitation and drug abuse among other ills.Nasra Bishumba - Ghana
Child molestation on the increase
The media are replete with ridiculous, improbable and frightening stories about sex scandals and child molestations. But day in and day out, these stories stand out clearly to remind Ghanaians of the dangers sex maniacs are posing to the society.Sam Sarpong - Swaziland
Abused children speak out
The country s sexually abused children are speaking out to draw attention to a problem that has worsened with the breakdown of the traditional family.James Hall - Kenya
Little to celebrate as country turns forty
The country celebrated forty years of independence on December 12, but looking at the political and economic developments over the years, there was nothing much to write home about.Zachary Ochieng - Action and contacts
Championing the peace agenda in Africa
In a continent devastated by civil wars, there is still a glimmer of hope as a number of organizations strive to bring peace to the war-ravaged countries. One such organization is Africa Peace Point [APP], an initiative of Koinonia Community, a lay Christian organization that renders services to the underprivileged in society.Zachary Ochieng