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The Unfinished Revolution: Voices from the Global Fight for Women’s Rights is the title of a book that will be published this week to coincide with International Women’s Day. The book includes over 30 essays by different authors, among them Somali gynaecologist Hawa Abdi and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Shirin Abadi.

“Women’s rights are human rights” became a rallying call for women’s equality and freedom in a series of UN conferences in the 1990s, when prospects for women leading lives of dignity and equality finally seemed within reach. Since then, how far have women in the world progressed? In Africa, HIV/AIDS kills more women and girls than men and boys. In many countries, women are legally considered second-class citizens, and in others, religion, custom, and traditions–from “honor killings” to denial of property, labor and economic rights–block basic freedoms such as the right to work or study, and access to health care. Around the world, women and girls are trafficked into forced labor and sex slavery; rape is used as a weapon of war in conflict zones from the Congo to Kyrgyzstan, and women still face major obstacles to education and reproductive freedom.

This anthology outlines the recent history of legal and political battles to secure basic rights for women and girls. Writers from around the world tackle some of the toughest questions about improving the lives of women, and explain why we need fresh approaches in analyzing what works for the most vexing issues. Top policymakers, human rights experts, writers and artists with unique perspectives will address topics from violence against women to property rights to the role of international institutions. Perhaps most important, readers will hear from women who have been victims of human rights abuses and others who have fought such abuses, in their own voices.

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