“We have a holiday on Thursday. Â Could we possibly move our conference call to Wednesday?”
Scanning this e-mail from a vendor, I shot a reply of “No problem. Â Speak with you then.”
As we kicked off the call yesterday, a colleague asked what the holiday was. Â “International Womens Day – we are given a work holiday in recognition of it,” replied our vendor.
International Women’s Day. Â It’s celebrated all around the world…except for the United States.
Nicholas Kristof said it best in this Facebook status – “Happy International Women’s Day! I wish that this day were accompanied by a major global push for girls’ education around the world, for wiping out sex trafficking, and for access to birth control for those who want it. Those steps would make a huge difference to all the world, man as well as women.”
While women in the United States continue to kick ass and take names (oh hey, Sara Blakely), the future isn’t so rosy for us around the world. Â Sexual slavery is a massive problem in the world, where girls as young as 3 years old are forced to sleep with men. Â It’s a major problem that the Somaly Mam Foundation is working to eradicate (and props to my BFF for being such an ardent supporter of this cause).
There’s no question of a girl going to school in the United States – it’s still considered a low priority elsewhere in the world. Â Girl Up, an initiative of the United Nations, enables girls in the States the chance to help other girls around the world achieve the same dreams.
If there’s one thing you do today, it should be to pick up Half The Sky, by journalist couple Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Â Educating yourself on what women face around the world, and how we can help is the first step to you can help women around the world.
