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Gender equality

Stand with women

Women around the world, particularly in places affected by crisis, face discrimination, violence, and a lack of equal opportunities that threaten their lives and rob them of their potential. But with the right support they can change their futures.

Help create change

Breaking down barriers

When men and women and boys and girls enjoy the same rights and opportunities, everyone benefits.  And when they are empowered to reach their potential, women and girls can be powerful agents of positive change.

Spread the word

Empowering women and girls

The International Rescue Committee works to create a world where women and girls are given the chance to succeed. Explore our work.

Bothina Matar with her car
Refugees in America

How a Syrian mother became a mentor and voice for refugees

“When you start doing anything, at first it’s going to be frightening,” Bothina Matar reassures the refugee women she works with in Dallas. She encourages them to strive for a better future—their children’s future—without forgetting their past. “I am trying my best,” Bothina tells them, “and succeeding somehow.”
See Bothina's story
A woman carries firewood on her head in a camp for displaced people in South Sudan
#16Days of Activism

The five toughest places in the world to be a woman today

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Video

Lena Headey reunites with Marwa, a Syrian refugee in Germany

Watch their reunion
A day in the life

Miriam’s Diary: Through the eyes of a young woman giving others a helping hand

Follow Miriam's journey
Syrian women look at an IRC-created comic book and discuss decisions the main character makes
#16Days of Activism

What next? How a comic book helps refugee women stay safe

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Stand by people whose lives have been shattered by conflict and learn how the IRC helps them rebuild.

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