I mentioned International Women’s Day (IWD) in my earlier post about mothers’ rights and LGBT rights. The U. S. workplace issues I describe there are important, but I also want to acknowledge that they fade in comparison to the hardships faced by women in many parts of the world:
- In Afghanistan, “Officials estimate at least half of women are forced into marriage and one out of three has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused.”
- Women accounted for 48% of all adults living with HIV worldwide at the end of 2006, but for 59% in sub-Saharan Africa. In South Africa, “young women aged 15—24 are up to four times more likely to contract HIV than their male counterparts.”
- In Iran, “Police attacked a gathering of some 700 women’s rights activists and hit them with batons,” an activist told Reuters, though apparently no one was hurt or arrested.
- In Sudan, “Women in Darfur continue to be subjected to rape by all sides in the brutal conflict in western Sudanese region.”
This is only a handful of the stories that exist, the ones that happen to be in the news today. The United Nations has designated their theme for this IWD “Ending Impunity for Violence against Women and Girls.” Clearly, we have a long way to go. There is no simple answer, no one charity to support. Speak out when you can, give when you can, support those you know personally who have been affected. None of us alone can change the world, but we can each affect our chosen piece of it.