Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide

Human trafficking traps millions of women and girls in a vicious cycle. What strategies do the authors propose to combat trafficking? Given the scale of the issue, do you find these strategies compelling? Why or why not?

The authors note, “In 2008, the United Nations formally declared rape a ‘weapon of war,’ and Congo came up constantly in discussions. […] [A] former United Nations force commander […] spoke of […] rape as a war tactic and said something haunting: ‘It has probably become more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in an armed conflict’” (84). Since 2008, has the international community helped protect women and girls from gender-based violence during wars? Cite examples from recent conflicts (between 2008 and the present) to support your answer.

What do Obende Kayode and Prudence Lemokouno’s case studies illustrate about the dangers of childbirth in the Global South? Which of the strategies that Kristof and WuDunn propose for curbing maternal mortality rates do you find most compelling? Why?