Wake Up Call: Monika Bakayoko-Topolska - Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Monika Bakayoko-Topolska

Photo: The IRC

From California to Congo, women and girls face unspeakable violence and abuse.  Yet each day women and men are fighting to boldly reimagine a safer world.  Find out what keeps them going despite incredible obstacles — check back next Wednesday for a new story from our recently-launched Web site, The Wake Up Call.

"'What is the problem? The goats and the sheep give birth without any assistance, why not my wife?'"

- The International Rescue Committee's Monika Bakayoko-Topolska, quoting a man in one village in Ivory Coast who refused his pregnant wife permission to get a pre-natal check-up. Shocked by how low a woman's postion was in her community, Monika channeled her outrage toward raising awareness among the village, whose women she knew had the strength to create change.

Watch and listen to Monika's story, and share your own wake up call.