The horrific mass kidnapping of girls in Nigeria has drawn attention to the dangers with which women and girls around the world live on a daily basis, writes Natasha Stott Despoja.

In recent weeks, the global community has been horrified by the kidnapping of over 200 girls from a boarding school in Chibok, northern Nigeria by the Islamist militant group.

Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the April 14 abduction and issued a threat to sell into slavery the kidnapped girls and to force them into marriage. While some of the girls have managed to escape, the majority of the initial group are still being held.

Boko Haram means "Western education is sinful", and is modelled on the Taliban movement in Afghanistan. It has little time for the education of women and girls, nor their other rights.

Nigeria may be the current focus for such horrific actions, but for some parts of the world, these are the dangers with which women and girls live on a daily basis.

The issue of girls' access to education also received worldwide attention when Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban in northern Pakistan for attending school and promoting girls' education.

These are some of the frightening international statistics:

Currently, 65 million girls across the world are out of school and, globally, one in five girls of lower secondary school age does not attend school.

Currently, 65 million girls across the world are out of school and, globally, one in five girls of lower secondary school age does not attend school. Every year, 10 million girls are forced or coerced into marriage (that's another girl every three seconds).

Every year, 10 million girls are forced or coerced into marriage (that's another girl every three seconds). One in three girls in the developing world is married by the age of 18 and one in seven marries before they reach the age of 15.

One in three girls in the developing world is married by the age of 18 and one in seven marries before they reach the age of 15. A leading cause of death for young women aged 15-19 in developing countries is pregnancy.

A leading cause of death for young women aged 15-19 in developing countries is pregnancy. A girl in Southern Sudan is more likely to die in childbirth than she is to finish primary school.

A girl in Southern Sudan is more likely to die in childbirth than she is to finish primary school. 150 million girls (and 73 million boys) under the age of 18 have experienced rape or other forms of sexual violence.

These are just some of the acts of cruelty and injustice that girls face.

The United Nations has indicated that the threat to sell the Nigerian girls may constitute a crime against humanity.

Abduction, slavery and forced marriage are abominable tools to use to deter women from seeking education, employment and other opportunities. The international community must act to prevent and respond to these abhorrent acts.

Australia's commitment to ending slavery and slavery-like practices such as forced marriage is unwavering. We have criminalised these practices, with strict penalties of up to 25 years' imprisonment. Since 2013, forced marriage has been recognised as a specific crime.

This is also why we are such strong supporters of the United Kingdom's Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, and why I am attending their Global Summit on Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict next month. I will be speaking to other governments, UN agencies and women's organisations about practical action.

Co-hosting this conference are British foreign secretary William Hague and Hollywood actor and human rights activist Angelina Jolie. Jolie has condemned the Nigerian kidnappings as "unthinkable cruelty and evil".

In Nigeria, the government has accepted a US offer to send a team of experts to help find the kidnapped schoolgirls. We do not know what this search and rescue effort will bring, but the international community must support it.

I have seen firsthand the good work that Australia is also doing in our region, funding groups like Migrant Care which assists women who have experienced slavery. This event in Nigeria reminds us of slavery's prevalence.

I have been to Nigeria twice, including in 2011 to observe the presidential elections. It can be beautiful place and I've met some extraordinary people. However, like many countries, it can be dangerous for women.

In 2002, I was part of a campaign to release Nigerian woman Amina Lawal. Amina was sentenced to death by an Islamic Sharia court in Funtua, in the northern Nigerian state of Katsina. The court ordered she should was to be stoned for adultery and for conceiving a child out of wedlock.

Eventually, and largely as a result of international pressure and the good work of the non-government organisation Baobab for Women's Human Rights, her conviction was overturned.

Magazines like Australia's Marie Claire - which supported my campaigning on this issue - brought mainstream attention to this issue. The then Nigerian high commissioner was supportive and received the many petitions and letters we collected.

As Angelina Jolie has demonstrated, the combination of political will and international attention can change the position of women and girls around the world.

Natasha Stott Despoja AM is Australia's Ambassador for Women and Girls. View her full profile here.