A day to remember, honor, and be
inspired by at least none decades of women working for equality, for peace, and
for justice. International Women's Day has been recognized in the US since 1909
and is commemorated by the United Nations. It's even a national holiday in many
countries like China, Vietnam. the USSR and Bulgaria (but not the U.S.--hmmm.)
Why do we need a day to honor women's struggles for safety
and equality? Soroptimist International provides
·
Globally 30% of the world’s women are at risk for beatings, sexual
assault or other violence, at least once in their lifetime. Given the world’s population
that’s about one billion women.
·
Girls and women are often the targets of trafficking, genital mutilation,
female infanticide, sexual abuse, or denial of health care and education.
·
Of the
600,000-800,000 people trafficked across international borders annually, 80
percent are female.
Instead of
looking at the problems, let’s look at opportunities. The Girl Effect is a
powerful global movement to foundational issues such as health care and
education for girls, because these are keys to creating social change that
makes this world a better place not just for girls and women, but for everyone. The problem
of global violence against women seems insurmountable, but finding a way to help
one twelve year old girl or the girls in a community… that’s something I can
relate to.
I remember story
about when Mother Teresa was asked to march in a protest against the Vietnam
War. Surprisingly, she declined. She told the organizers she would have gladly marched for
peace, but she would not ever march against something. I’ve always liked that
philosophy. When we see injustice we often become outraged, but that outrage
can just cause more entrenchment. Better to work together to find solutions,
even small ones that make a difference.
"Never
worry about numbers.
Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." Mother
Teresa
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