Violence and discrimination affect girls and women throughout their lives. Below are some facts.
- Gender discrimination. In Asia, most parents prefer boys to girls.
- Education. Worldwide, women and girls make up two thirds of those who had less than four years of schooling.
- Sexual harassment. Over 2.6 billion women live in countries where marital rape is still not considered a crime.
- Health. In developing countries, about every two minutes, a woman dies from pregnancy or childbirth complications as a result of the lack of basic medical care.
- Property rights. Although women cultivate more than half the world’s crops, in many countries they have no legal right to own property or inherit land.
Why have women been deprived of such basic rights?
Some cultures follow religious beliefs and practices that foster or
even justify abuse of women and violence against them.
