“In too many countries, women are still not seen as equals in the eye of the law or the minds of men and boys,” Mr. Ban said in a video message to the Global Symposium on Engaging Men and Boys in Gender Equality, held in Rio de Janeiro yesterday. “No country and no culture has fully escaped this prejudice.”

“Men must teach each other that real men do not violate or oppress women – and that a woman’s place is not just in the home or the field, but in schools and offices and boardrooms,” he added.

In February 2008, the Secretary-General kicked off his “UNite to End Violence against Women” campaign – a multi-year effort aimed at preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls in all parts of the world.

Stretching from 2008 to 2015, the campaign calls on governments, civil society, women’s organizations, young people, the private sector, the media and the entire UN system to work to end this global scourge.

Mr. Ban noted that violence against women is the most obvious and hateful expression of the discrimination they face. But it is not the only one. Inequality exists in the home, in schools, in the workplace and in the halls of power.

“Governments must tell other governments that institutionalized discrimination has no place in our modern world,” he stated. “Around the world we need to make a greater effort. And men and boys must play their part.

“Only by working together as men and women can we create more equal and peaceful societies,” he added. “Only by being prepared to stand up for fundamental rights can we expect to achieve lasting change.”

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We ‘cannot wait’ to end violence against women – Secretary-General Ban