It was the late 1970s. The phone rang. On one end of the line was a young woman who had just graduated from Temple Law School. On the other end was a woman who worked as a Juvenile Aid Police Officer who wanted to be a Detective but was not permitted to do so. The young lawyer was Helen McCaffrey. The police officer was Penelope Brace.

Brace was looking for a new attorney to represent her in her Civil Rights suit against the City of Philadelphia. Her previous attorney was almost bankrupt from the effort and could not continue. McCaffrey accepted.

Many years and many more lawyers later, they prevailed and women took their place as full-fledged members of the Philadelphia Police Department.

There were more Civil Rights cases for McCaffrey, who represented mostly women and African Americans who were prohibited by government laws from fully participating in American society.

After years of practicing law McCaffrey moved on to teach college naively believing that the gains of two hundred years, beginning with the American Revolution, were ongoing and the future of equality was secure.

In the 1990s that belief was shattered.

The most powerful world leader sitting in the Oval office in the United States abused subordinate women with impunity; setting an example not only for foreign leaders and citizens but for the people of the United States especially the children.

Worldwide women were, not only, not, moving forward they were losing ground. While there were no longer legal barriers at least in the United States for women, the new obstacles are more insidious and formidable.

Domestic abuse and crimes against women rose exponentially in the country after this Oval Office scandal. The example of the Leader disrespecting women gives permission to every one else. Humans learn by example.

This year alone the CDC reported that 26% of teenage girls have an STD.

Over the globe an old monster reappeared – Slavery – now called by the more palatable term – Human Trafficking. One million women a year are sold into slavery – some for domestic and manufacturing work but most as Sex Slaves. They are used to feed the pornography industry and the sex shops and prostitution rings. Then they are discarded -literally.

In countries that are developing women bear the brunt of poverty, pandemics and violence, frequently being terrorized by bands of teenagers with AK-47s operating under a war lord. Think Sudan and Darfur.

All over the Middle East and Southeast Asia thousands of women are murdered annually in so called “Honor Killings.” They are murdered for something as innocent as refusing to wear a burka.

As the single Mother of five children (Andrew, Catherine, Julia, Helen and Alexander), McCaffrey decided to do something to raise the consciousness of men and women everywhere and inform them of the reality of the inequality still prevalent all over the globe That’s the origin of Women’s Watch, Inc.

To quote one of McCaffrey’s favorite teachers, Professor Joseph Reilly, “If I’m neutral and you’re not, I live in your world. If you’re neutral and I’m not, you live in mine.”

Please support Women’s Watch to help create a world where women and their children are respected, cherished and allowed the freedom to grow and dream their dreams into reality.