When silence breaks, generations learn how to heal

Between November 25^th and December 10^th, a global movement works to prevent and end violence against girls and women. Countries across the world host educational sessions, workshops, conferences, and community programs designed to reach every part of society. The effort matters, especially in places where a woman’s rights appear recognized on paper yet receive little real protection.

Many communities struggle with long-standing beliefs that place women in the background. In parts of Central and Latin America, Spain, and Italy, the culture of machismo still shapes public and private life. Women often remain visible, but unheard, present, but unvalued.

Other societies rank women and girls below men in social, political, and religious life. This includes parts of the Middle East, segments of Orthodox Judaism, right-wing Christian orthodox traditions, and the Roman Catholic Church’s refusal to open full leadership roles to women. Women across Balkan and Slavic regions often face similar dismissal. The pattern repeats: men dismiss the needs, goals, and dreams of the partners they view as the “weaker sex.”

Every culture carries some version of “might makes right.” Men often hold greater physical power and a longer history of influence in workplaces, community groups, and political spaces. Girls face an added burden. Many people view them simply as smaller women rather than as a group with distinct needs and vulnerabilities. Gender-based harm appears close to home: in neighborhoods, in family units, and across institutions that shape our futures.

Modern North American and European societies still limit women through pay gaps and restricted leadership opportunities. Economists once treated women as cheaper labour and now encourage them to return to domestic roles. With fewer women at decision-making tables, those who hold power gain more room to tighten their grip. Inside homes, this tension shows up in daily struggles as families try to navigate fairness and equality.

Gender-based violence continues to rise worldwide. Many girls and women face forced sexual experiences, blocked access to progress, and limited chances for better futures. Rates of assault grow across developing nations and wealthier countries alike. As pornography consumption expands, sexual crime increases. More women’s shelters open each year, because demand grows. Incest remains a hidden crisis, and advocacy groups warn that efforts to normalize, or legalize abusive behavior still appear online and in fringe communities. Abuse rewards only the abuser, never the survivor.

Partnerships with organizations that support survivors offer a path forward. These groups challenge the systems and individuals who use fear, control, and tradition to hold women back. Restricting a woman, or girl’s right to grow, learn, or lead is a moral failure. Any ideology, or custom that blocks a woman’s progress creates harm and strengthens patriarchal control.

Gloria Steinem captured the issue with sharp clarity, “Men should think twice before making widowhood a woman’s only path to power.”