Two thirds of the world's poor are women. They do two thirds of the world's work - in its factories and offices, schools and hospitals, shops, banks and hotels, in transport and in the fields. They receive one tenth of the world's income. Women and their children constitute the overwhelming majority of the world's refugees, mostly fleeing wars and civil wars. Tens of millions more women leave their homes and even their countries to try and provide some income for themselves and their families.
Millions end up as domestic or even sex slaves, unable to return to their own homes.
The value of trafficking in human beings is now said to be greater than in drug trafficking. Women as victims of beatings, rape, torture and killing at the hands of state forces is widespread. It is also prevalent even within the 'sanctuary' of the home. The overwhelming majority of rapes and murders of women, not related to war, are carried out by family members or people known to them. In some countries, China, Korea, India and elsewhere - female babies are often aborted or killed soon after birth.