“Many of us who fight for women’s rights have the privilege of knowing mighty women and girls. They are the courageous ones–those who insist on and fight for a future where women and girls are free from violence and can live out their full potential. Most of these women’s rights defenders are not widely known, yet work tirelessly at grave risk to themselves and their families. But they are dogged. They are fearless. They are unbowed. They are leaders. And on this International Women’s Day, we celebrate them, and the impact that women have had all around the world.
Along with UN Women, and the civil society organizations Vital Voices and Global Fund for Women, we identified four women’s rights defenders who are building movements against mass incarceration, human trafficking, child marriage and sexual violence. Their stories are the stories of our virtual reality series, “Courage to Question. Lydia Cacho shares her experience as a Mexican journalist, author, and human rights activist who, despite receiving multiple threats to her safety and life over the years, fights tirelessly to tell the stories of women and girls who have been trafficked.”