Hilary Clinton wrote the book and thus coined the phrase, “It Takes a Village”.

In our case, I’d argue it takes an army.

Not a military one. An army of women. A battalion of passionate mothers, daughters, and sisters, who are willing to sacrifice time, money, and energy to be crusaders of gender equity and human rights.

The time of turning a blind eye, of ignoring the headlines, or saying, “but what can I do about it?” has passed. The time for change is now.

No longer can we ignore the women raped around the world, the girls trafficked across borders for prostitution, or the unplanned babies born to both. Women and girls traded as commodities and used like a disposable, empty, object.

No more can we dismiss genital mutilation, ironing breasts, or other torturous concepts that put the blame of rape and childhood pregnancy on the women, instead of punishing the men that perpetrate the crimes. Mutilating women to stem sexual assault just adds insult to injury.

It is not acceptable that as women living in the West, enjoying the freedoms women before us fought for, that we do not rally, advocate, and work to ensure that women EVERYWHERE have these freedoms.

It is not enough to shout against the injustice done to women across the globe.

Action is the key. As women, we must act. As mothers, sisters, daughters, we must act.

We must build schools, train women, employ women, support women. Provide education and healthcare to women. Advocate against violence and mutilation practices.

Action, a forward momentum, an effort to make a change. Little steps by the masses create large ripples that change lives.

Robert Kennedy stated, “One person can make a difference and EVERYONE must try.” One woman on her own, can change several lives if she commits. An army of committed women can change the world.