Faith Leaders Have Opportunity To Advance Women’s Health, Rights

Inter Press Service: Religious Leaders Can End Harmful Cultural Practices & Advance Women’s Empowerment
Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Siddharth Chatterjee, UNFPA representative to Kenya

“…Passion and compassion for those who suffer are key pillars of most faiths, and this is why leaders of religion are well-placed to accelerate the quest for gender equality and empowerment. Giving girls and women the wherewithal to play their full part in a country’s development is not just a moral imperative, but the only sustainable approach. … A juxtaposition of culture and misplaced religious biases has for eons given men absolute control over women’s bodies. … The consequences do not just affect women, but entire nations. … Religious organizations have not only been moral pillars in the community, but they have also led in providing access to education and health for the marginalized. Now is the time for them to lead the drive towards demolishing harmful, man-made traditions and cultures” (5/5).

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