Women Empowerment

Women Empowerment Synopsis

The issue of women empowerment has emerged as a critical agenda for the 21st century, presenting both a challenge and an opportunity for the global community. The new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which set a series of goals and targets to be achieved by 2030, represent a significant improvement over the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015) by acknowledging various elements essential to women empowerment, such as education, health, control over violence, economic participation, and political representation. To reinvigorate commitments and initiatives related to women empowerment, International Women Day is celebrated annually on March 8 since 2010. Despite various initiatives, women continue to face physical, economic, psychological, and sexual violence globally. It is estimated that one-third of women worldwide are victims of gender-based violence, and the majority of those who report positive responses to surveys do not seek any form of formal or informal support. In 29 African and Middle Eastern countries where the practice is concentrated, more than 125 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM). Additionally, women trafficking, child marriage, sexual violence, rapes, and other crimes against women persist and are on the rise.