The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has released a statement urging faith leaders to participate in the 16-Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence. The 16 days began yesterday, International Women’s Day, and ends on December 10, Human Rights Day. It specifically focuses on the violence and silencing that women and girls face on a daily basis, sometimes from faith leaders themselves. He says that faith leaders can be a powerful force in society, and asks them to “speak out in defence of the implementation of laws that protect women and girls [and] to speak out against cultural practices and habits that continue to demean and hold back women and girls.”