Lisa Ling: I honestly feel that a lot of women here have a lot to be appreciative of. It’s not to undermine people’s dilemmas or personal conflicts, but if we have a problem or are being threatened, we have people we can go to—there are organizations and law enforcement. There are so many women in the world that are suffering and unable to go to anyone. My hope is that women in America hear these stories and [will] be compelled to help these women overseas who don’t have a voice like we do.

SM: What issues do you think all women, in the US and the rest of the world, face today?

Lisa Ling: I can only use one example. When I was coming up in the entertainment media industry, I felt very vulnerable as a young woman because there were countless occasions where a male executive would say to me, "You’re very talented. We should talk about this over dinner." It immediately allowed him to exert some kind of power over me because he knew how much I wanted that job. Imagine that, times 20, in other parts of the world where the woman doesn’t have an option; she’s forced. It’s sort of a trivial example in comparison to what happens around the world, but nevertheless, women are objectified and marginalized in the US. No woman likes to feel objectified.