“Interventions aimed at ending female genital mutilation over the last three decades are having an impact, with nearly two-thirds of the population in countries where it is prevalent expressing support for its elimination.
After decades of slow change, progress against female genital mutilation is accelerating: half of all gains since 1990 were achieved in the past decade reducing the number of girls subjected to FGM from one in two to one in three.”
“India’s institutional footprint in higher education has expanded considerably over the decade.
The number of universities increased from 760 in 2014-15 to 1,289 in 2023-24, registering a growth of 69.6 per cent. The number of colleges rose from 38,498 to 48,246, an increase of 25.3 per cent, while standalone institutions increased from 12,276 to 15,221, registering growth of about 24 per cent…
The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) also improved steadily, rising from 23.7 per cent in 2014-15 to 29.5 per cent in 2022-23 and 30 per cent in 2023-24. The rise represents increased participation in higher education and progress towards the NEP 2020 target of achieving a 50 per cent GER by 2035…
Female participation has emerged as a major area of progress in India’s higher education system.
Female enrolment increased by 42.2 per cent, from 1.57 crore in 2014-15 to 2.24 crore in 2023-24, outpacing the growth in total enrolment…
The Gender Parity Index (GPI) in higher education also improved from 0.92 in 2014-15 to 1.08 in 2023-24. Among SC students, GPI increased from 0.91 to 1.11, while among ST students it rose from 0.81 to 1.08.
A GPI of one represents parity between male and female participation, while a figure above one indicates higher female participation.”
From DD India.
“For the first time since child marriage was banned in Sierra Leone two years ago, people accused of committing the crime have been brought to trial.
Four men appeared at a High Court on Friday in the capital city, Freetown, charged with the forcible marriage of a 17-year-old girl…
The president of the all-female lawyers' group, Legal Access through Women Yearning for Equality Rights and Social Justice, told the BBC she felt 'extremely happy'.
Menisa Sesay said it showed the legal reforms for which they had fought so hard were finally being enforced, vindicating their mission to protect the rights of vulnerable women and girls.”
From BBC.
Economic Times | Child Abuse & Bullying
“Even as India recorded a continued decline in child marriage, data from the National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6) for 2023-24 revealed that 20.1% of women aged 20-24 were married before turning 18, the legal age of marriage for women. The figure has fallen by just over three percentage points from 23.3% reported in NFHS-5 (2019-21), according to Times of India report.
Among men aged 25-29, 15.9% had married before the legal age of 21 years, reflecting a 17.7% decline compared with the previous survey period.
The survey also pointed to a reduction in gender-based violence. The share of married women aged 18-49 who reported experiencing spousal violence dropped from 29.2% in 2019-21 to 22.3% in 2023-24. However, the burden remained disproportionately higher in rural areas, where 24.4% of women reported such experiences, compared with 17.5% in urban India. In the previous survey, the corresponding figures were 31.6% for rural women and 24.2% for urban women.
Child marriage among women has steadily declined across successive NFHS rounds. The prevalence stood at 47.4% in 2005-06 (NFHS-3), fell to 26.8% in 2015-16 (NFHS-4), and has now reduced to 20.1% in 2023-24.”
From Economic Times.
Governors Highway Safety Association | Women's Empowerment
“Drivers struck and killed 3,024 people walking in the United States in first six months of 2025, down 10.9% from the year before – the largest annual decline since GHSA began tracking pedestrain deaths 15 years ago.
While the 10.9% decrease is encouraging, pedestrian deaths remain 2.5% above the 2019 level, the last year before a steep rise in dangerous driving behaviors and traffic deaths caused by the pandemic.”
