Facts and Figures

will not be determined by the fact of being born male or female."

In other words, a stage when both men and women realize their full potential.

Female sexual slavery and forced prostitution are still terrible "facts of life” for poor, often very young, women.

Forced marriage and bride-burning are still prevalent in the Asian sub-continent.

A pregnant woman in Africa is 180 times more likely to die of pregnancy complications than in western Europe.

Women, mostly in rural areas, represent more than two-thirds of the world’s illiterate adults.

In the United States, 90% of AIDS cases under 20 years of age are girls.

Women still hold only 15.6% of elected parliamentary seats globally.

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- From the World Economic Forum’s report, Women’s Empowerment: Measuring the Global Gender Gap, 2005

Violence against women and girls continues unabated in every continent, country and culture. _Most societies prohibit such violence - yet the reality is that too often, it is covered up or tacitly condoned. It takes a devastating toll on women’s lives, on their families, and on society as a whole.

- UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon, March 8, 2007