Source: Baha’i World News Service

On 8th September, as part of the 59th Annual United Nations Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organization conference, The Baha’i International Community and the International Presentation Association hosted a panel discussion on the theme “Beyond Violence Prevention: Creating a Culture to Enable Women’s Security and Development.”

The panelists were agreed that violence against women remains a severe problem in almost every nation and culture.

Letty Chiwara from the Africa section of the United Nations Fund for Women stated “We all know that at least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in their lifetime.”

The consensus of opinion was that progress requires changes in deeply rooted attitudes that for the most part transcend culture and national borders.

Layli Miller-Muro, lawyer and founder of the Baha’i-inspired women’s advocacy organization, the Tahirih Justice Center, said that “Religion has the capacity for good, to inspire, to motivate, to transform human behavior”… “People are willing to change their behavior for a higher power, not for a World Bank loan.”

The full story can be read here