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The Child Gauge is an annual publication which monitors the progress towards realizing children’s rights. This issue focuses attention on the prevention of violence against children. The first section deals with the reform of the laws which affect children. The second section concerns preventing violence against children and breaking the intergenerational cycle of violence. The third part has an updated set of key indicators on children’s socio-economic rights and provides commentary on the extent to which these rights have been realized.

Empowerment of people through Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is an important prerequisite for fostering equitable access to information and knowledge and promoting free, independent and pluralistic media and information systems.

Media and Information Literacy recognizes the primary role of information and media in our everyday lives. It lies at the core of freedom of expression and information – since it empowers citizens to understand the functions of media and other information providers, to critically evaluate their content, and to make informed decisions as users and producer of information and media content.

Information Literacy and Media Literacy are traditionally seen as separate and distinct fields. UNESCO’s strategy brings together these two fields as a combined set of competencies (knowledge, skills and attitude) necessary for life and work today. MIL considers all forms of media and other information providers such as libraries, archive, museums and Internet irrespective of technologies used.

A particular focus will be on training teachers to sensitize them to the importance of MIL in the education process, enable them to integrate MIL into their teaching and provide them with appropriate pedagogical methods, curricula and resources.

UNESCO’s mission is to engender media and information literate societies through a comprehensive strategy which include preparation of model Media and Information Literacy Curriculum for Teachers, the facilitation of international cooperation, development of Guidelines for Preparing National MIL Policies and Strategies, articulation of a Global Framework on MIL Indicators, setting up MIL University Network, articulation of and establishment of an International Clearinghouse on MIL in cooperation with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, and provision of Guidelines for Broadcasters on Promoting User-Generated Content and MIL

Building access to justice, health care and social rehabilitation for survivors.

This guide is based on two documents: 1) Sexual rights – an IPPF declaration and 2) Sexual rights – abridged version

This is a framework of indicators to gauge gender sensitivity in media operations and content. It discusses the creation of a set of gender-sensitive indicators that can be used internationally to enable media organisations and others – such as media workers’ unions and gender activists – to evaluate the place and role of women in newsrooms (print, broadcasting and internet) as well as in news content. Building on the work done by several global, regional and national surveys that have recorded the extent of inequality in news coverage and within media houses, the indicators are meant to help assess the nature and degree of imbalance and point the way towards internal measures to address evident disparities

This is a unique collection of data on the use of gender quotas around the world. It presents an overview of trends and challenges in the implementation of quotas, and it includes profiles of 85 countries and territories with detailed description of quota systems used in them. The information is extracted from the Global Database of Quotas for Women (www.quotaproject.org) a joint database between the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Stockholm University and International IDEA

This edition of GISWatch explores women’s rights and gender through the lens of information and communications technologies (ICTs). It includes a series of expert thematic reports on issues such as access to infrastructure, participation, online disobedience, and sexuality online, as well as 46 country reports on topics like the rights of domestic workers, trafficking in women, participation in governance, child brides, and the right to abortion.

GISWatch 2013 shows that gains in women’s rights made online are not always certain or stable. While access to the internet for women has increased their participation in the social, economic and governance spheres, there is there is another side to these opportunities: online harassment, cyberstalking, and violence against women online all of which are on the increase globally. This GISWatch is a call to action, to the increased participation of women in all forms of technological governance and development, and to a reaffirmation and strengthening of their rights online.

South Africa has several ratified instruments that vie for the elimination and protection of women from all forms of violence. The country has also enacted key legislation, such as the Domestic Violence Act, 1998 (Act No 99 of 1998), and the Sexual Offences and Related Matters Amendment Act, No. 32 of 2007. However, women from all backgrounds, ages and socio-economic status in KwaZulu-Natal, a province characterised by high HIV and AIDS prevalence, have experienced violence perpetrated by men in both their private and public lives.

Thirty seven percent of women in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) have experienced some form of gender-based violence in their lifetime, including partner and nonpartner violence. Forty three percent of men admit to perpetrating some form of violence against women

The Western Cape GBV Indicators Study provides the first comprehensive baseline data on violence against women in the province. It shows that 39% of women have experienced some form of violence in their lifetime, and that the same proportion of men admit to perpetrating violence.

Most of this violence takes place where all citizens should feel safest À“ in the home and in communities. The highest proportion of violence is the kind for which there is no category in police records À“ emotional, verbal and economic abuse. This is the slow but debilitating death that many women experience daily, undermining their agency and ability to participate fully and meaningfully in public life.

Twenty years into our democracy the report is a shocking wake up call to politicians and the public alike. The Western Cape is the fourth province (with Gauteng, Limpopo and Kwa Zulu Natal) to have undertaken this study. The report is a reminder that South Africa needs to upscale all the provincial reports into a national GBV Indicators Study to serve as a baseline for measuring progress in eradicating the most flagrant remaining violation of human rights post-apartheid.

This 95-page report includes interviews with dozens of people who have faced threats and violence at the hands of both the police and others in the community. It looks in detail at two key incidents: the “gay marriage” scandal of February 2008; and the arrest of the “nine homosexuals of Mbao” in December 2008. The report also examines several other cases that show how police arrests under Article 319.3 fan broader fear and suspicion.