In much of the world, the prevailing winds of justice blow fiercely in the faces of women and girls, hindering progress and stinging the conscience. With disturbing frequency, the fairer sex is treated with anything but fairness or compassion. Oft brutalized and generally oppressed, they are afforded limited protection and little opportunity for redress. Such inequity and maltreatment are patently unacceptable. Yet the winds remain sadly slow to change, as these recent reports document:
Sex Abuse of Girls Is Stubborn Scourge in Africa (New York Times)
Rape case roils Saudi legal system (Associated Press)
Pakistani Islamists protest as new rape law signed (Reuters)
Kmareka.com 
thank you for bringing this issue to the top of the page. i was in the first ‘take back the night’ march against violence against women, and i have seen providence get a little better, and attitudes change. i know from experience that with good leadership, sensible laws and the participation of people who have an interest in justice and equality things can get a lot better. unfortunately, history shows that things can fall apart fast. the islamic world has some heroic women who are working for women’s rights and deserve our support. for an american take on violence against women, check my post ‘my rapist’ needs to be outed with a link to the essay by maureen gibbon in the nyt that says a lot about life for young women in the ’80’s.