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‘Legal Grounds: Reproductive and Sexual Rights in African Commonwealth Courts, Volume II’ is a compilation of case summaries and analytical highlights that draws attention to the interpretation and application of human rights norms by courts in African Commonwealth countries. It focuses on issues pertaining to reproductive and sexual health and rights, including gender-based violence, marriage-related gender discrimination, validity of customary and religious marriages, property inheritance and distribution, abortion and claims of fetal interests, and HIV discrimination.

Legal Grounds II is a tool for organisations, individuals, and institutions of learning. Though the study of reproductive and sexual health as a human rights discipline on the African continent is still at a relatively young stage, a number of countries, including Nigeria and South Africa, are developing the discipline in their tertiary institutions. This publication is a compelling resource for students in this field. In addition, it is a contribution towards a knowledge base for jurisprudence that bears directly or indirectly on reproductive and sexual health as human rights, and is conducive towards building and entrenching a human rights culture on the African continent.

For more information, click here.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) will launch a major campaign to counter a triple threat to health in fast growing cities, home to more than half the world's population.

The campaign is expected to start on World Health Day and aims to rally 1 000 cities to open up public spaces to health, by closing off portions of streets to traffic, to encourage exercise in parks and clean up campaigns.

One of the WHO officials behind the drive, Lori Sloate, says it is important to forge a global movement for action in cities, while there is still time because “We've just passed the tipping point.”

To read the article titled, “WHO to kick off '1 000 cities' drive for urban health,” click here.

The Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) has declared "Movember" the month to challenge all South African men to grow their moustaches and help change the face of men's health.

Co-founder of the Movember, Justin Coghlan, points out that, "The aim of Movember is to raise awareness about men's health issues, and the idea has already generated interest from South African men ready to donate their faces and time."

Movember is an internationally acclaimed charity initiative that encourages men or women to raise money for CANSA, and gives men the chance to boost awareness by visibly displaying the moustaches on their faces.

To read the article titled, “Help fight cancer,” click here.

New research suggests that circumcising HIV-positive men does not reduce the risk of their female partners becoming HIV-infected.

The findings, reported in the British medical journal, The Lancet, emerged from a clinical trial in Rakai District, southern Uganda, involving 922 HIV-infected men and 163 of their HIV-negative female partners.

Half the men were circumcised at the start of the two-year trial; the other half, who made up the control group, were circumcised at the end of it. Their uninfected female partners were followed up after six, 12 and 24 months to determine whether they had acquired HIV from their male partners.

The findings reinforced the need for men undergoing the procedure to receive extensive counselling about the importance of delaying sex for at least six weeks afterwards, the continued need to use condoms, and to reduce partner numbers.

To read the article titled, “Male circumcision does not protect women", click here.