Born in Russia and raised in Chicago, Dr. Geynisman founded the Survivor Clinic in July 2013 to serve women who have survived or are surviving gender violence, including sexual violence and female genital mutilation.

You may have heard the World Health Organization's harrowing statistic: one in three women around the world will be beaten or raped during her lifetime, most often by someone she knows -- either an intimate partner or family member.

Upon first glance, you would think we would never have anything in common. As a child she attended a private, prestigious girls' school in Greenwich, CT, whereas I walked a mile each day to a public school from my home in the Brooklyn Housing Projects

Preventing sexual violence in armed conflict is a matter of international peace and security. Sexual violence fuels conflict, forces people to flee their homes and countries and is often linked to cyclical violence and other human rights abuses.

The ultimate task for our generation is to make women and men equal partners in building peace, security and prosperity. This is a question not just of individual rights but also of international security. After all, history shows that a society can only reach its potential when women are allowed to reach theirs.