A spoon in your underwear could save your life, a 17-year-old female rickshaw driver is saving people’s lives, China welcomes tourists to the “Kingdom of Women” and a story about India that you would probably never want to hear.

Read more to find out about women in the news.

India: the Story You Never Wanted to Hear

When people ask me about my experience studying abroad in India, I always face the same dilemma. Do I tell them about bargaining at the bazaar for beautiful saris costing a few dollars a piece, and not mention the men who stood watching us, who would push by us, clawing at our breasts and groins? Read more here.

Women who fear being forced to marry abroad told to hide spoon in underwear

A number of women and girls living in the UK who are at risk of forced marriage have avoided going abroad by concealing spoons in their underwear at airport security. A charity advises women and young girls to set off airport metal detectors to give them more time to seek help from authorities. Read more here.

Meerzadi, a Pakistani hero

Meerzadi is a 17-year-old young woman in the village of Moak Sharif, Tando Allahyar, which had been all but destroyed by the floods in 2011. Meerzadi decided to take things in her own hands. She is transporting women from one village to another in her rickshaw. Read more here.

Turkey’s women strike back

The plight of Turkish women will get lost in larger political debates about basic freedoms and rights in general.Yet, the growing recognition of women’s rights among the spectrum of grievances many people have against the Turkish state suggests that the old ways may be changing. Read more here.

 Women’s agenda is key to stabilising eastern Congo

The recent peace process for the Great Lakes has been disappointing in terms of providing for visible participation by women stakeholders and explicitly addressing vital women’s rights issues. Read more here.

Thousands of tourists flock to China’s ‘Kingdom of women’

As the tourist bus trundles towards the lake nestled in the roots of the Himalayas, a sign arcs the road. It carries an image of two women in traditional dress paddling a boat. Colours radiate from the sign with lurid urgency: the water is aquamarine, the surrounding mountains neon and the girls’ teeth pearlescent. “Welcome to Lugu Lake”, the sign reads, “Welcome to the Kingdom of women”. Read more here.

‘Re-virginising’ in a tube: ‘Purity’ for sale at Pakistani pharmacies

Pharmacies in Karachi are selling topical cures for lost virginity.These over-the-counter fixes are everywhere – counters in large supermarkets, small pharmacies acting as corner shops – hard to miss once you knew it was out there. Read more here.