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Executive SummaryCall to ActionJune 27–29, 2013, religious leaders, scholars, andactivists joined former U.S. President Jimmy Carterand the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner forHuman Rights at The Carter Center for the 2013Human Rights Defenders Forum on the themeMobilizing Faith for Women: Engaging the Power“The abuse of women andgirls is the most pervasiveand unaddressed humanrights violation on earth.”— President Carterof Religion and Belief to Advance Human Rightsand Dignity. Building on earlier forums, which hadexplored the bases for human rights within religioustraditions, participants pursued an ambitious agendawith the goal of mobilizing religious and politicalleaders to advocate for the human rights of womenand girls. The forum was preceded by a day of workshopsthat allowed experts to delve deeply into howscriptural interpretation by mostly male religious leadershipaffects the rights of women globally. PresidentCarter shared his hope that the conference wouldresult in every individual speaking out and marshalingwhatever influence they can bring to address the issueof human rights abuses against women.In his opening remarks, President Carter noted,“The abuse of women and girls is the most pervasiveand unaddressed human rights violation on earth.”Testimony during the forum supported his assertionthat communities of faith and religious leaders havea unique opportunity to make a difference in thefight for women’s equal treatment and freedom fromviolence around the world. Various faith leaders,advocates, and scholars reported both experiencesof human rights abuses against women and effortsto work from within their faith traditions to addresssuch abuses. The participants shared findings andTom EnglandParticipants listened to Benjamin Warsaw perform a piano selection to open the forum on Friday, June 28, 2013.The Carter Center 5