Fighting the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Girls in America

Rachel Lloyd is most certainly an inspiration, as described by Nicholas D. Kristof in his International Herald Tribune article of 25 April entitled, "American girls on the streets." Her book, Girls Like Us, is a first-hand account of her life as a teenage prostitute, the object of human traffickers and a victim of the sex trade. Finally able to escape this life, Rachel went on to establish GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services), whose stated mission is "to empower girls and young women, ages 12-24, who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking to exit the commercial sex industry and develop to their full potential.  GEMS is committed to ending commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking of children by changing individual lives, transforming public perception, and revolutionizing the systems and policies that impact sexually exploited youth."

Read this brave and forceful book and join the GEMS Council of Daughters network or simply spread the word about Rachel Lloyd's efforts to end the commercial exploitation and trafficking of girls.

Alleviating Poverty by Investing in Women and Girls

Founded in 1976, the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) describes itself as "thought leaders driven by a passion to alleviate poverty and rectify injustice in the world." The Center "reduces global poverty by investing in the lives of women and girls." In particular, ICRW works with girls and boys in their communities to delay marriages in areas where child marriage is an established tradition. In addition it educates policymakers on the adverse consequences of the practice for girls.

The ICRW also focuses on gender equality in agriculture. Time and again, the work of women farmers goes unrecognized. Not only are they often not paid for their farming, but many are not allowed to own land. Yet research demonstrates that women are instrumental in alleviating poverty and hunger when given access to land, equipment and credit as in most cases they are the ones who ensure food gets to their family.

The Center aims to improve the status of women, help protect their rights, ensure their access to reproductive information and healthcare, and increase their opportunities to be educated, hold jobs and own property. It is doing a great deal in these areas in more than 30 countries, as well as in fighting violence against women. Help the International Center for Research on Women in a variety of ways: for example, make a donation, sign up for their newsletter, or join their community.

Pink Stinks

The Pink Stinks website endorses a campaign "that challenges the culture of pink which invades every aspect of girls' lives." Their message is that "body image obsession is starting younger and younger, and that the seeds are sown during the pink stage, as young girls are taught the boundaries within which they will grow up, as well as narrow and damaging messages about what it is to be a girl." Pink Stinks and cooltobe.me, a non-profit organization that highlights female role models, have collaborated on a film featuring Isa Guha of the England women's cricket team. They seek to celebrate women who are "inspirational, important, ground-breaking and motivating" because "by presenting children with images of women... all shapes, sizes, colours and kinds, doing all sorts of amazing things... we can go some way to improving their self-esteem and self worth." Help promote positive gender roles: support Pink Stinks.

International Women's Day - March 8, 2010

Featuring Camfed International: Dedicated to eradicating poverty in Africa through the education of girls and the empowerment of young women

Camfed International has successfully challenged the conventional wisdom that cultural resistance is at the heart of girls' exclusion from education in rural Africa, proving instead that chronic poverty is the main barrier. Since 1993, Camfed has pioneered a grassroots approach to advancing opportunities for girls and young women to guarantee a model that is locally inspired and owned. Camfed has proven that girls' education is the most effective means by which girls and their communities can break the devastating cycle of poverty that currently plagues sub-Saharan Africa. (From "Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs 2010", Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, p. 37)