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The Status of Women and Girls in the World Today

<p>A protester addresses the &#8220;Bring Back Our Girls&#8221; protest group as they march to the presidential villa to deliver a protest le&#8230;hoolgirls in Chibok who were kidnapped by Islamist militant group Boko Haram, May 22, 2014 (Courtesy Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde).</p>
A protester addresses the “Bring Back Our Girls” protest group as they march to the presidential villa to deliver a protest le…hoolgirls in Chibok who were kidnapped by Islamist militant group Boko Haram, May 22, 2014 (Courtesy Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde).

By experts and staff

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  • Isobel Coleman
    Senior Fellow and Director of the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative; Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program

How terrible is it to be born a girl in the world today? The almost daily headlines about cruel acts of violence and discrimination against women -- from the kidnapping of nearly 300 school girls in Nigeria last month, to the latest gruesome stoning of a woman in Pakistan – provide plenty of reasons to be pessimistic about women’s equality and safety in today’s world.

But there is also some reason for hope. Women and girls have made important gains recent decades – gains that point to a much brighter future. In a recent CNN Opinion article, I discuss the changing status of women and girls in today’s world. Click here to read more.