The WHO just completed a survey charting the frequency of domestic violence against women in a sampling of countries. The results are...not good.
Think about that for a second: In Peru, one out of every two women is beaten by their spouse. Often viciously. There's been some talk lately of setting up a UN agency for women's rights that would seek to apply real international pressure to force countries into taking action against rape, domestic abuse, and murders specifically perpetrated against women. Doing so is the very first step in empowering and modernizing a bit over half of the world's population. And that first step is long, long overdue.