Lawmakers and campaigners in Manila want the Philippines to vaccinate boys against HPV as well as girls. Coverage among girls remains below 30%, but WHO’s one-dose schedule and new screening options give women more ways to protect themselves now.
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Evidence-based reporting, analysis and perspectives on women’s health worldwide. Updated as stories develop.
France records rise in women killed by partners as MPs back violence bill
France’s National Assembly passed a cross-party bill on sexist and sexual violence by 503 votes to none on 13 October 2026. Two days later, Interior Ministry figures showed 111 women were killed by a partner or former partner in 2025, up 4% on the year before.
One in three gender equality bodies lost power in two years, UN finds
One in three national bodies set up to advance gender equality has lost institutional power in the past two years, a UN report finds. Legal reforms in 68 economies and upcoming UN reviews give governments and advocates routes to reverse the trend.
HPV vaccination linked to fewer preterm births, Swedish study finds
Women vaccinated against HPV before pregnancy had a slightly lower risk of giving birth early, a Swedish registry study has found. The researchers stress the study cannot prove the vaccine caused the difference, and catch-up vaccination and early antenatal care remain available to many women.
FDA reopens the question of testosterone for women after menopause
Twenty years after Europe licensed a testosterone treatment for women, the US Food and Drug Administration has asked for evidence on a use it has never approved. A new unreviewed study, meanwhile, raises questions about heart safety.
US regulator fast-tracks review of non-hormonal hot flush drug for women on breast cancer therapy
Elinzanetant, a non-hormonal pill that acts on the brain’s temperature control centre, is under fast-track review in the US for hot flushes caused by breast cancer therapy. Regulators in the UK, the EU, Switzerland and Canada have already approved it for this use.
Four Indian states reach every eligible girl as HPV vaccinations pass eight million
Four Indian states have vaccinated every 14-year-old girl they identified against HPV, the virus behind almost all cervical cancer. India’s free, single-dose campaign has passed eight million vaccinations since February.
UN creates an international day to end child marriage
The first International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage falls on 27 November 2026. Sierra Leone led the UN resolution creating it, and countries from Sierra Leone to Colombia have already banned marriage under 18.
650 million women alive today were married as children, UNICEF says
UNICEF estimates that education, legal reform and social protection have averted 68 million child marriages over the past 25 years. Yet about 650 million women and girls alive today were married in childhood, and the agency marked the International Day of the Girl by calling for faster progress.
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