'100 Women' series coming on BBC

New season of reports and programmes on BBC TV, radio and online takes off from October 1

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | September 19, 2013

Women will be better represented in the BBC's global output in future, the BBC has pledged, as it launched a new season of '100 Women'. This season will turn the spotlight on women's lives around the world, and kick-start a drive to feature more women's voices and women's stories on the BBC's global news channels – BBC World News, BBC.com and BBC World Service.

The '100 Women' season of special reports, programmes and discussion will run during October 2013. It will culminate in a global conference where 100 women from around the world will assemble at New Broadcasting House in London to discuss some of the crucial issues facing women today.

Starting from October 1, 2013, content will run on TV, radio and online, including:

• Breadwinners: Katty Kay reports on how more US families now depend on women's wages
• Sexual violence in India: With rape reporting doubling in the last year, authorities are looking at more ways to make women safer, including female police patrols in Delhi, Rupa Jha looks at how effective changes have been.
• Maternal health: Anne Soy reports on Uganda's Nobel prize-winning midwife and the changes in maternal mortality in the country.
• Maids in Indonesia: With a moratorium on domestic workers being introduced from 2016, Karishma Vaswani asks how this will change women's lives and job opportunities.
• FGM Kurdistan and Egypt: Shaimaa Khalil goes home to Cairo to see what girls and women could learn from their sisters in Kurdistan about curbing the practice.

• Age of Reason: Four remarkable women from around the world, all in their 70s and all leading experts in their field are interviewed about their lives and careers.

• Crying Meri: Vlad Sokhin examines the extreme levels of violence against women in Papua New Guinea.

• Mishal Husain interviews Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yusufzai in her first broadcast interview since surviving being shot in the head by the Taliban last October.

Fiona Crack, Editor of the '100 Women' season, said: “We're determined to make sure we are hearing women's voices and telling women's stories on all of the BBC's global news channels. This season is a chance for us to look at the big picture and take stock of where we are with women's rights around the world.”

“More women than ever are finishing school, getting jobs and making their way in politics and in business. But violence remains a real threat to millions of girls and women around the world. And what about the demands of balancing work and family life? We want to look both at how things are changing, and into the future to see where these trends may take us,” Crack added

Liliane Landor, Controller of Language Services, said: “This season comes in direct response to our audience's feedback. Women have told us they want to hear themselves and their experiences better reflected and represented on the World Service. And the World Service has a unique role to play, hosting a global debate where women from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe can share their experiences with one another.”

The '100 Women' conference will be streamed on a live event page on the BBC News website and broadcast live in English on BBC World News TV and World Service radio, as well as by many of BBC's 27 global languages services.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

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