Thus far, the poverty alleviation strategies of the South African Government seem unable to reduce inequalities and the consequences of poverty amongst women in rural areas. Many of the existing policies deal mostly with the formal sector, to the detriment of the informal, non-remunerative roles rural women perform. Most of these policies are furthermore not well implemented and hence do not benefit the maximum number of citizens. This CAI brief examines the challenges to eradicating poverty amongst rural South African women with a view to offer a sustainable model of social justice and development.

The sun is rising for the African woman. Modern literature on female empowerment is booming with evidence of the benefits of empowerment initiatives for African women. This paper discusses the complexity of the female empowerment endeavour and presents key examples of successful initiatives. Those who work to improve women’s lives undoubtedly have great intentions and this paper argues that they must remember to design initiatives that are as multi-faceted as the contexts and lives they intend to change.

Gender inequalities in land rights are widespread. In addition to having less access to land than their male counterparts, women can often only hold land through male family members. In instances of divorce, widowhood or a husband’s migration, women run the risk of losing such entitlements. This CAI brief discusses the intersection between law and custom in Africa and how it impacts on women. Specific countries from various geographical regions in Africa are discussed with a view to highlight the fact that women remain largely discriminated against in the quest for land rights n Africa.

Terrorism and its effects have occupied the thoughts and considerations of many academics and politicians since the events of 9/11. Areas previously thought to be untouched by terrorists, such as the World Wide Web, receive increasing attention as the world learns more about cyber-terrorism. Women as terrorists within organisations or as individuals have become a real possibility as conceptions of gender, violence and the dynamics between the two begin to change. This paper briefly explores women’s participation in African terrorist organisations, with specific reference to Uganda, Sierra Leone and Mozambique.

Existing research findings show that responses to and interventions in the HIV & AIDS epidemic largely neglect the issue of the sexual and reproductive health needs of infected women. Using examples from Namibia and Kenya, this paper explores the status of the rights of women infected with HIV & AIDS specifically with regards to their sexual and reproductive health. The examples cited are cases of women who were denied their right to sexual and reproductive health due to their HIV status. This brief argues that existing HIV & AIDS prevention and treatment paradigms do not acknowledge and prioritise the sexual and reproductive rights and needs of infected women as much as they should.