"People don't seem to talk much about child brides ... but I can not stay silent," said Archbishop Desmond Tutu last month at the Social Good Summit in New York City. Held during UN Week, the Social Good Summit was a partnership effort between the United Nations Foundation, Mashable, and the 92nd Street Y to bring global leaders together with a live audience in New York City and thousands around the world participating via Livestream.
Read MoreIn many parts of the world women are valued based on their chastity. Whether you are in India, the Middle East, or even in the United States, there is a religious and cultural obsession with female virginity. The irony is that if a woman is found to not be a virgin (whether true or not), the punishment is often rape, or even worse, a stoning to her death.
Read MoreHer Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joined hundreds of teen girls at a Girl Up rally in Los Angeles last Friday to raise awareness and funds to help adolescent girls in developing countries around the world.
Read MoreOne such campaign, which had its official launch this month, is called Girl Up. Started by the United Nations Foundation, Girl Up was created to channel the energy and compassion of American teen girls as a powerful force for change. As Girl Up global advocate Queen Rania of Jordan has put it, "Girl Up is about changing peer networking from sharing movies and music, to sharing missions and movements."
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