In 1991, Harish Sadani answered an Indian newspaper advertisement that read, “Wanted: Men who believe that women are not for battering.” He was one of 205 men who responded to the ad, which had been posted by a prominent Indian journalist.

After a year of meetings with those like-minded men, Sadani decided to launch the nonprofit organization, Men Against Violence and Abuse (MAVA). It is the first men's organization in India to intervene directly against gender-based violence on women.

Wynona Ward drives her Ford Explorer, an "office on wheels," for thousands of miles over Vermont back roads each year, to reach even the most geographically isolated families suffering from domestic abuse.

A woman is raped every 17 seconds in South Africa, according to estimates by Interpol, the international police organization. Through her program Girls and Football South Africa (SA), Jos Dirkx believes that teaching girls to have strength over their own bodies will decrease rates of pregnancy and HIV, give them knowledge about prevention and how to get help if they need it, and help them avoid trouble plus give them confidence not to blame themselves if they do become victims of sexual assault.

Stigma and disbelief prevent many of the victims from reporting rapes. Jos Dirkx, the founder of Girls and Football South Africa (SA), believes that South African girls will continue to be plagued by sexual assault, HIV/AIDS, and unwanted pregnancy as long as they lack support, accurate information, and confidence.  

Ruchira Gupta is a journalist, activist, and policymaker who has worked relentlessly for the past 25 years to end human trafficking and to empower some of the most marginalized girls and women in the world. She is best known for leading girls and women in prostitution to advocate for their own change though Apne Aap Women Worldwide, a community-based initiative in India that builds up the capacity of girls and women through small “self-help” group structures.

Raquel Barros was honored as an Ashoka ChangemakeHER, Changemakers's inaugural celebration of the world's most influentual and inspiring women. Find her fellow honorees' voices here.

Raquel Barros is transforming the lives of young, at-risk mothers in a holistic way. She founded Lua Nova to focus on rescuing and rehabilitating teenage mothers and at-risk youth, while emphasizing the right to motherhood. Her organization allows young mothers and their children to rediscover citizenship and self-esteem so they no longer are excluded from society, through innovative career and construction training, income generation workshops, health care, psychotherapy, and remedial classes.