I believe that there are certain attributes in a woman that give her some advantages over a man. Women are usually more honest, more sensitive to iss… - Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

However, the need to defend the rights of women is not limited to the battlefield, and the threats to those rights do not emanate only from armed violence. Girls’ education, seen far too often as an unnecessary indulgence rather than the key investment it is, is still under-funded and under-staffed. Too often girls are discouraged from pursuing an academic training, no matter how promising they may be.

To girls and women everywhere, I issue a simple invitation. My sisters, my daughters, my friends; find your voice.

Today, across the globe, women, and also men, from all walks of life are finding the courage to say, loudly and firmly, in a thousand languages, “No more.” They reject mindless violence, and defend the fundamental values of democracy, of open society, of freedom, and of peace.