This seems like a bold statement. 16 days could change the world. But how on earth can we do this?

Today is the start date of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. One in three women around the world will experience some form of gender-based violence. From female abortion, poor access to education, child marriage, rape, sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and the neglect of widows; gender-based violence can take place at any stage of a woman’s life.

The recent New Times article from Donald Koran, US Ambassador to Rwanda, highlights the fact that gender-based violence damages us all, worldwide. “When women and girls are abused, businesses close, incomes shrink, families go hungry, and children grow up internalizing behavior that perpetuates the cycle of violence. There is no end to the economic and detrimental social and health costs… Violence effectively acts as a cancer on societies.”

Over the next 16 days we have an opportunity to make a change, to renew our commitment to equal rights and making sure that women and girls are given a voice in their society. Let’s make this happen together.