Dear Global Citizen,

In conflict zones around the world, the lives and rights of women and girls are often treated as disposable, their safety exchanged for shockingly little. Did you know that in some conflict zones, 80 cents—the cost of a pack of gum—can buy unimaginable harm? In Eastern DRC, women and children in displacement camps face unspeakable exploitation in places deceptively called ‘Maisons de Tolérance.’

It’s a stark reminder that conflict zones remain terror zones for the most vulnerable. We must act to change this reality.

In times of conflict, rates of gender-based violence increase, and far too often, it is used as a weapon of war. That’s why, in honor of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Global Citizen and I are calling for collective, decisive, and inclusive action on a global scale in order to achieve a more equal world.