Issue

Women

Women and girls face a myriad of unique challenges around the globe. Although many countries around the world continue to work to mitigate the historic marginalization of and violence against women and girls, they are often disproportionately affected by war, climate change, poverty, industrialization, and global health crises.

In telling their stories Pulitzer Center journalists illuminate not only the violence and disparity faced by women and girls worldwide, but their resilience and strength in the face of it. Stories as varied as a young woman barricading herself in a hotel room in Bangkok to escape subjugation in Saudi Arabia to the women advocating for reproductive rights in Nigeria show women and girls constantly fighting to assert their own humanity.

The Pulitzer Center's work on women is supported by a partnership with PIMCO, which provides funding support for reporting projects, education outreach, and community engagement on issues related to gender equality and the economic empowerment of vulnerable girls and women. For more information, please see this announcement

 

 

Women

Congo: The Forgotten War

The conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is threatening to become a full scale war. Last week, rebel commanders seized an army base and the headquarters of Congo's famous Virunga National Park. The latest round of fighting has seen a dramatic rise in the number of rapes. Some 200,000 people have been displaced since August, according to the World Food Program. That's in addition to the nearly 1.5 million people already displaced since 2007. The so–called "forgotten war" isn't over. We'll look into the history of the crisis in the Congo today.

Five Million Dead and Counting

In the North Kivu province of eastern Congo, people are living in ditches along the sides of roads. They're filling up the floors of churches and schools. Displaced people are surrounding the compounds of bewildered U.N. peacekeepers. Young boys and men are hiding in the forest to avoid being killed or forced into armed groups.

News from Goma

Recent fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo has forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes in the last week alone and humanitarian aid groups are overwhelmed. Many who need food and medical assistance can't be reached because of the fighting. As Michael Kavanagh shares in this Reporter's Notebook, the Congolese people have an unfortunate history of being left to their own devices.

DRC: Running in Fear

Pulitzer Center grantee Michael Kavanagh discusses the difficulties of reporting on sexual violence in Congo.

More Violence in Congo

Reporter Michael Kavanagh has the latest from eastern Congo, where fighting between pro-government forces and Tutsi rebels has displaced more than a quarter million people.