Founded in 1921, Soroptimist International is a global volunteer movement with a network of around 72,000 club members in 121 countries. Advocating for human rights and gender equality, at the heart of Soroptimist International’s advocacy is its work across eight UN Centres, where our UN representatives ensure that the voices of women and girls are heard. Our membership work on grassroots projects that help women and girls achieve their individual and collective potential, realise aspirations and have an equal voice in communities worldwide.
Soroptimist International (SI) President Sharon Fisher’s The Road to Equality President’s Appeal – strategically focuses on taking Action and Advocating on topics affecting women and girls, including Child Marriage, Female Genital Mutilation, Domestic Violence, Rights of Older Women, Migration, and Human Trafficking, incorporating a mix of projects, alongside education, to build awareness and engage Soroptimists and friends through discussion, webinars, access to tools, facts and stories. In this way, each of us will raise our capacity to be a global voice for women on our journey towards achieving gender equality. The topics and pages below will develop and expand so please do revisit this page over time.
Watch 'Exploring the Road to Equality' a webinar recording from August 2020.
Female genital mutilation, also known as female genital cutting and female circumcision (FGM/C), is the cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia, and more than 3 million girls and women face the risk of being cut annually.
Many older women are valuable contributors to their families, their communities, and to the national economy. However, others find themselves in a position of vulnerability, ostracised or abandoned, as a result of a lifetime of discrimination, particularly in terms of education and employment.
Child marriage, or early marriage, is any marriage where at least one of the parties is under 18 years of age. A child marriage is considered to be a form of forced marriage, given that one and/or both parties have not expressed full, free and informed consent.
Exploitation includes, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.