At Risk: Girls and Women

You know the drill, girls:Don’t go anywhere with a stranger.  Look in the back seat before you get in your car.  Keep your purse close.  Walk with confidence, eyes straight ahead.  Don’t post where you are going on Facebook.  Keep a close hold on your drink at parties and bars so no one can drop something in it.In many nations, these are the risks women and girls face.  They are real, and can be frightening, and occasionally life threatening.But around the world, girls and woman face greater risks:Starvation—available food goes first to boys in the family.Debilitating illness—available health care goes first to boys in the family.Marriage in her early teens.Serious injury or death in child bearing.All kinds of abuse at the hands of her husband.Violent rape by gangs of militia.Or, in some places, being aborted or killed at birth—for being a female.Watch with your heart this video trailer on gendercide:It's a Girl!What can you do to make a difference?Reading Half the Sky and Half the Church would be a starting place.  Then take action where you can--those books make many suggestions.  You may not be able to change it all by yourself, but you can make a difference.C  2011 Judy Douglass