In many parts of the world today, women are still living in oppressive conditions. Prostitution, submission, torture, violence, exploitation and poverty are often part of daily life for these women who have few rights and who, sadly, have no means of escaping their situation. Globally, more than one in five women will be the victim of serious sexual or physical abuse at some point in her life. Faced with no way out and no rights in many countries, many women still manage to rebuild their lives by finding some independence or through access to education. Architects of Change featured: * Dilma Felizardo, from eastern Brazil, focused her studies on the plight of street children and was surprised at the indifference shown towards their suffering. She decided to devote herself completely to helping them get out of their difficult situation and give them hope, especially the disadvantaged and poorly educated adolescent girls and young women who often resorted to prostitution to survive. * Halime Güner is from Turkey, where inequalities between men and women are too often part of everyday life. Her father’s behaviour led her to devote her life to fighting discrimination and violence against women. She worked as a State consultant responsible for women’s issues later, activist Halime helped create a shelter for abused women. She founded the Flying Broom, a network of women’s rights organizations improving communications and ameliorating the status of women in Turkey. * Somaly Mam, born in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime, was orphaned at a young age. An old man took her in, made her his slave. and later sold her to a brothel in Phnom Penh. She was subjected to the worst kinds of suffering but when she witnessed the murder of her best friend, she courageously escaped. She is the founder the organization AFESIP, Acting for Women in Distressing Situations.