March 8th is International Women’s Day

Women nurture, lead, provide, and shape the world in irreplaceable ways. Yet a girl born today in a poor community joins the world’s largest group to be denied basic needs and human rights — women.

In many cultures, a girl is devalued from birth. She may be given less food, denied urgent medical care, and assigned exhausting chores. At a young age she may be forced to end her education in order to marry, or even be sold into prostitution to feed her family.

As an adult, poverty makes her more vulnerable to threats like domestic violence, childbirth complications, and HIV infection — and often prevents her from breaking the cycle of exploitation for her daughters.

But when girls and women have the opportunity to learn, grow, and reach their God-given potential, they are able to rise above the obstacles placed in their paths and create a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Visit World Vision’s resources for more information, and learn more from Amnesty International.

“As Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, we know there is a direct relationship between peace, justice and respect for human rights. As long as women are denied human rights, anywhere in the world, there can be no justice and no peace. Recognizing women’s equal rights, therefore, is an essential requirement for the creation of strong, sustainable and stable societies and ensuring that women enjoy equality with men in all areas of life is a key step to making human rights a universal reality.” — Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate & Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International, which was awarded the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize.