In this post in the Huffington Post’s “Impact” blog, women’s issues author and speaker Tabby Biddle writes, “There are over 150 million instances each year of sexual violence against girls. … One major factor that perpetuates this cycle of violence is that the girls who have been raped can’t speak up for themselves (because they are babies or very young children) and those who are old enough to speak up, are afraid to — for many good reasons.”

“Tomorrow thousands of girls will be raped by men or boys who will not go to prison or be held accountable for their horrific actions. Because no one will question them or sit them down to talk about why they did this, the cycle of violence will continue,” she writes. Biddle proposes three ways to improve the lives of those affected by gender-based violence (GBV) around the world, which include raising awareness about GBV on a community level, encouraging the U.S. to pass the International Violence Against Women Act, and advocating to ensure full funding of U.N. Women (10/13).