More than 90 percent of countries around the globe have laws that discriminate against women. My homeland, Tanzania, is one of them.

As Global Citizens, we have the power to change this. Not only girls and women must be courageous to demand their rights. Boys and men need to break stereotypes and stand up for gender equality.

When I was in high school in Arusha, Tanzania, issues of gender equality, and girls and women’s empowerment made no sense to me. It was not part of our culture. But then I realized how many young girls are suffering–forced to marry far too young, often to men more than twice their age. One third of all girls in Tanzania, for example, were married before age 18, according to a recent study.

Why you should stand up for girls’ rights – MSNBC