By  Pushparaj Deshpande for Fair Observer.

Although universal equality is a cornerstone of all democratic societies, it is a norm followed more in the breach than custom. Women have been historically discriminated against and marginalized simply by virtue of their gender. They are incessantly subjected to various forms of violence—including physical, sexual and economical, as well as psychological—which are perpetuated by prevailing stereotypes (cultural and religious).

A staggering 70% of women experience violence in their lifetime, most of which goes unreported. Over 700 million women alive today were married as children (below 18 years of age), and one in three of them were wed before 15.

Around 120 million girls under the age of 20 (about one in ten) have been forced into sexual intercourse or other sexual acts at some point in their lives. It is estimated that over 80% of the displaced populations in the world are women and children.

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Photo: Women waiting for food aid at a distribution centre in Afgoye, Somalia. UN Photo/Tobin Jones.