International Women's Day (Wed March 8th) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality. IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. This year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity.
In the area of modern slavery, women are disproportionately affected. There are many factors that contribute towards this gender imbalance such as the fact that only 2 in 5 girls worldwide complete secondary school and each year, 15 million girls will never go to school. This lack of education increases the risk of child marriage and forced labour. Globally, there are 122 women (aged 25-34) in extreme poverty for every 100 men of the same age which makes women and girls disproportionately vulnerable to exploitation.
Why are women disproportionately affected by modern slavery?
- Fifty four per cent of global modern slavery victims are female
- One in every 130 females globally is living in modern slavery
- Two thirds of all forced marriage victims are women or girls
- 13 million girls experience forced sex in their lifetime
- Sexual exploitation and domestic servitude disproportionately affect women and girls.
