The Global War on Women

The pervasive oppression of women and girls is humanity’s greatest travesty.

Consider these facts:

• Homicide is a leading cause of death for pregnant women.
• Women and girls ages 15 to 44 are more likely to be maimed or killed by men than by malaria, cancer, war or traffic accidents combined.
• The children most at risk of attempted abduction by strangers are girls ages 10 to 14, many on their way to or from school.
• Every year, 60 million girls are sexually assaulted at or on their way to school.
• In some parts of the world a girl is more likely to be raped than to learn how to read.
• Only about one third of countries around the world have laws in place to combat violence against women, and in most of these countries those laws are not enforced.
• According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey — the country’s largest and most reliable crime study — there were 248,300 sexual assaults in 2007.
• One out of every three women will be a victim of violence in her lifetime.

And the reward: Women work 67% of the world’s working hours, yet earn only 10% of the world’s income.

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