Anglican Women’s Empowerment (AWE) was formed in 2003 under the leadership of Phoebe Griswold, wife of the former presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA (ECUSA), in partnership with the Anglican Consultative Council’s United Nations Office (ACCUNO), to enable Anglican women’s participation at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW). Since 2003, the number of Anglican women at UNCSW has grown to over 100 delegates. This number includes women from nearly every province in the worldwide Anglican Communion.

The Girl Child was the theme of the 51st UNCSW, held in late February/early March, 2007. Currently, fewer girls than boys survive into adulthood because of harmful attitudes and practices, such as son preference resulting in prenatal sex selection and female infanticide. Many girls enter into child labor as young as five to seven years old. Child labor and childhood marriage increases the girl child’s vulnerability to sexual exploitation and abuse within her own domestic setting. AWE aims to address the issues confronting the girl child and the necessity of education, which will allow her to flourish.