International Women's Day, on March 8th, 2008, had at its theme "Investing In Women and Girls. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon observed that "investing in women is not only the right thing to do. It is the smart thing to do. I am deeply convinced that, in women, the world has at its disposal, the most significant and yet largely untapped potential for development and peace."

"The Impact of Obstetric Fistulas on Economic Empowerment” was the title of a topic dissected by a unique panel discussion held 3 March 2008 in New York City. The medical and socioeconomic impact of obstetric fistulas was considered under the auspices of the United Nations Commission of the Status of Women, with the co-sponsorship of the IHEU-Appignani Center for Bioethics.

Some time ago I read an article about women in the Congo being raped, beaten, murdered – and about some who survived to helped other victims. They were working together to save lives without making distinctions between different ethnic groups. I read a heart-warming story of the two leaders, one a Hema, the other a Lendu.

Misogyny manifests itself in all cultures and in all levels of society, and is often accompanied by physical abuse of women and girls. It is deeply rooted and often sanctioned by religion and custom. From an early age, girls are indoctrinated with a sense of their own low worth and an expectation of continuous male control and abuse.

There’s a story attached to the birth of Lord Krishna, the presiding deity of the pantheon of Hindu gods. Krishna’s maternal uncle, Kamsa, decided to kill all his sister’s babies when the gods told him that his sister’s child would overthrow his cruel regime and kill him.

We live in a world where societal norms leave women in subordinate positions, and where women are valued less than men. Men’s power over women increases women’s vulnerability to both violence and HIV.

Recent reports on the Islamic regime of Iran’s crackdown on women who are ‘badly’ veiled (bad-hejab) and their resistance to the regime’s campaign of arrest and harassment has been reported quite extensively in comparison to other similar events over the years.

She was dragged out of her house, her head held in a headlock. For just a second a close up of her face showed it distorted by fear, her eyes wild. There was shouting from the crowd – a sense of pandemonium. The raised fist clutching a rock dissolved in a blur of motion as the cell-phone video lost focus. You could only imagine the fury with which she was attacked.

In late May 2007 five men in Zambia were given sentences ranging from 14 to 35 years in prison for raping young girls between the ages of nine and 14. Women activists described the sentences as “a milestone for justice”.