"Working for equality for women and girls around the globe is the key to fighting poverty, terrorism, political instability and social injustice.

I grew up in Lahore, Pakistan and have witnessed firsthand the destruction of the fibre of society through the introduction of so-called ‘Islamic laws’ in 1979, which effectively made women second-class citizens.

The feminist and race equality movements have very similar agendas. What Martin Luther King fought for in the early sixties is similar to what we are fighting for today – nothing more complex than the ability to fully participate in and contribute to society, without the threat of violence or discrimination.

I was influenced in my childhood to add my voice to the many others calling for equality for women and girls and the end to the oppression of half the world’s population. Over the last twenty odd years, our struggle to get women’s rights integrated into the general human rights framework and to have key decision-making institutions (including bodies of the UN, the World Bank, and various regional and national level bodies) recognise the importance of - and work on - the issues relating to women and girls, has been very fruitful.

Every major institution and government has at the very least acknowledged discrimination and violence against women and many have committed to working on these issues.

We had a hand in not only getting many national laws passed, but also in helping grassroots women’s rights groups ensure that these are used to create an impact on the ground. We continue in this effort to make equality a reality for women and girls on the ground, and while our struggle is far from over, as a global movement, our achievements are inspiring.

However, the last few years have been challenging in many respects. With the global economic downturn and with political instability in many parts of the world, including internal and cross border conflicts, we are looking at a significant backlash on women and girls rights.

At the same time, significantly, the 2012 World Development report recognized gender equality as a core development objective in its own right, as well as “smart economics”. A ground-breaking study “Sex & World Peace” established that the level of peacefulness in society is directly linked to the treatment of women – the more equally women are treated, the less likely there is internal strife or external aggression. These are critical markers establishing what we in the movement have known forever – that working for equality for women and girls is not only the right thing to do, but it is essential to poverty alleviation, development and peace and security.

While the attack on women’s rights continues – from attempts to take away in countries emerging from the so-called ‘Arab Spring’, to the attack on reproductive rights in the United States and elsewhere, a beacon of hope is women and girls who raise their voices against injustice and strive, often against the odds, to change the world for the better.

Eleven year old Wafa fought for and won a divorce from her adult husband in Yemen, where there are no laws against child marriage; fifteen year old Mary took on the Zambian government when it failed to do anything when her teacher raped her in school and got a landmark ruling in her case; and fifteen year old Mariam successfully took her father – who raped her – to court in Pakistan, despite many difficult legal hurdles.

These young girls are changing the world, not only for themselves but also for future generations.

I am honoured to have been able to play a role to ensure that these girls – as well as the many other change-makers around the world – are supported, so that change in one girl’s life can be translated into legislative change at a national and international level, impacting millions.

Our challenge today is to make everyone understand that ensuring equality for women and girls is the right thing to do, the smart thing to do and a solution to many of the world’s problems. It is the best investment we can make to ensure that the world is a better, happier and safer place."

equalitynow.org

See below to watch Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream speech

I Have A Dream: 50 Years On