Pandemic Aggravated Violence against Women in Latin America
This article is part of IPS coverage of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Nov. 25.
“Not one woman less, respect our lives” writes a Peruvian woman on the effigy of a woman in a park in front of the courthouse, before a demonstration in Lima over the lack of enforcement of laws against femicides and other forms of violence against women. CREDIT: Mariela Jara/IPS
LIMA, Nov 24 2022 (IPS) – Violence against women has failed to decline in the Latin American region after the sharp rise recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, while preventing the causes of such vio…
In Latin America, Heat Warnings Can Prevent Deaths
Residents of Mexico City take shelter from the heat in a covered area, on a central street in the capital, in the month of March, when spring has not even arrived yet in the country. Heat waves will become more frequent and will last longer, due to the climate emergency. CREDIT: Emilio Godoy/IPS
MEXICO CITY, Mar 14 2023 (IPS) – On Mar. 9, more than half of Mexico reported maximum temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, although spring has not even arrived yet in this Latin American country located in the northern hemisphere.
In fact, the , which brings together the federal governm…
Battling the Twin Challenge of HIV and Cervical Cancer
A community health worker spreads the message of screening for cervical cancer along with HIV. Credit: Joyce Chimbi/IPS
Nairobi, Dec 6 2022 (IPS) – Damaris Anyango* was recently discharged from Kenyatta National Hospital, battling the twin challenge of cervical cancer and HIV. She is 50 years old and was diagnosed with HIV nearly ten years ago.
Despite the heightened risk of developing cervical cancer due to the underlying HIV-positive condition, her first cervical cancer screening was undertaken three years ago.
“It has been a big challenge dealing with HIV an…
Close Inequalities to End AIDS & Prepare for Future Pandemics
Thembeni Mkingofa, a woman living with HIV, visits the PMTCT section of the Makhume District Hospital, Zimbabwe. She has three children – 14, 10 and 2 who are all HIV negative. This is her fourth pregnancy. Her husband is also on HIV treatment. Here she is pictured with her two-year-old daughter, Hilda Chakiryizira. 5 November 2019. Credit: UNAIDS/C. Matonhodze
BRASILIA, Brazil, Jun 5 2023 (IPS) – The COVID-19 crisis has shone a light on the danger of pandemics; social crises have shone a light on the danger of inequalities. And the reality is that outbreaks become the pandemics they do because of inequality. The good news is that both can be overcome – if they are confronted as one.
Scientific and medical breakthroughs in the treatment and prevention of HIV should have brought us to the point of ending AIDS. Tragically, however, although the number of new HIV …
Mental Health: Getting to Healthy, Happy
In many countries reporting mental health issues is frowned upon – even though statistics show there is a massive need for therapy and support. This illustration is by Dilselekhika Prerna explores mental health and identity. Credit: Fuzia.com
New York, Nov 18 2021 (IPS) – I was told to wait and cry it out. How could I explain to them that I have been crying for years? That was not the solution, asks Azra Zeng, a divorced mother of four in an interview with IPS. I wanted to speak to someone. I wanted to seek help where I could feel whole again. It felt that I was dying from inside, but no one could see.
Zeng was trying to make a living and look after her children while fighting a one-woman battle with mental health issues.
She was the sole breadwinner, and her parents also depended on her. Depression and mental health issues plagued her,…