BY PHYLLIS MBANJE A WOMAN rights group, Women’s March Global yesterday launched the “Global Count”, one of the largest global mapping polls ever conducted to document the cultural, economic and social barriers to women’s progress. The Global Count comes at a critical time women around the world have expressed an urgent need for intersectional voices to be heard during COVID-19 and have a say in what is prioritised by governments in the global reset. As concerns grow about the alarming rise in gender-based violence, human rights authorities have declared that gender inequities are as bad as they were 25 years ago. The “Global Count” takes the form of a digital poll. It directly addresses data scarcity around women’s rights and the urgent need to better map the critical issues facing women across the globe. It will be distributed by leading technology companies including Survey Monkey and Facebook, taking Women’s March Global’s mobilisation efforts to communities of women that are often hardest to reach. It will actively engage gender diverse, non-binary, trans-women and people who identify as women, from every country, culture and racial background around the globe. The data collected will inform future efforts to progress gender equality, as the “Global Count” redefines how global institutions work towards this common goal. The “Global Count” is collaboration with Women’s March Global, as well as various movements, organisations, donors, and policy-makers. Behind the campaign is a newly-assembled steering committee comprise some of the world’s most respected women’s rights organisations: Co-operative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere, Inc. (CARE), White Ribbon Alliance, CIVICUS, Girl Up, and Global Fund for Women? Commenting on the event Kimberlé Crenshaw, American lawyer, civil rights advocate, and peer-reviewed of the “Global Count”, said: “Women’s March Global has taken strides to show that the people of the world are stronger when uniting in collective action. “The 2021 Global Count gives people a say in the many issues they confront on a daily basis. And while we may not be able to march in person this year, we can still speak as part of a global movement. I urge all people, across all continents, to have their voices counted in this one-of-a-kind survey.” The “Global Count” started running yesterday (the day women would normally march) to March 8 (International Women’s Day). As women complete the poll, they will be encouraged to share it with their network with the rallying call to action: #WeCount. Every year since 2017, Women’s Global March has built the capacity to mobilise and assemble around critical issues. With 2 300 members and 125 chapters in every country including Zimbabwe, the organisation was formed from the thousands of women’s marches that took place on the back of former United States President Donald Trump’s inauguration globally four years ago. Since then, the organisation has mobilised women to march every year, and all year round, on every continent, for women’s human rights and it is Uni