UNITED NATIONS: One in three women worldwide experience physical or sexual violence, mostly by an intimate partner , which is a human rights violation, with devastating immediate and long-term physical, sexual, and mental consequences for women and girls, including death, the United Nations agency championing women’s empowerment, ‘UN Women’, said Saturday
Violence negatively affects women’s general well-being and prevents women from fully participating in society, impacting their families, their community, and the country at large, the agency said. It has tremendous costs, from greater strains on health care to legal expenses and losses in productivity.
Of the 165 countries with domestic violence laws, only 104 countries have comprehensive legislation addressing domestic violence, it was pointed out. However, the countries with domestic violence legislation have lower rates of intimate partner violence than those without such legislation (9.5 per cent compared to 16.1 per cent).
Every year, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) campaign led by UN Women serves as a powerful reminder of the widespread violence women and girls face worldwide, UN Women said
Starting from November 25, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and concluding on December 10, on Human Rights Day, this campaign calls on governments, activists, and individuals to unite and push for lasting change.
In support of this civil society initiative the UN Secretary-General back in 2008 launched the campaign UNITE by 2030, which runs parallel to the 16 Days of Activism.
Every year, the UNITE Campaign focuses on a specific theme and this year’s focus is UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls, aiming for long-term solutions that address the root causes of the problem.
The statistics are staggering: nearly one in three women and girls worldwide will experience physical or sexual violence during their lifetime.
For at least 51,100 women in 2023, this violence escalated to femicide (homicide targeted at women) with over half committed by intimate partners or family members.
UN Women points out, “Femicides are the ultimate evidence that the systems and structures meant to protect women and girls are failing.”
“Women are not safe outside their homes either,” it said.
Public figures, including politicians, human rights defenders, and journalists, are often targeted by violence both online and offline, with some leading to fatal outcomes and intentional killings.
One alarming aspect of this issue is the prevalence of violence in conflict zones. In 2023, the United Nations reported a staggering 50 per cent increase in gender violence from the previous year.
Women like Ukrainian activist Lyudmila Huseynova exemplify the harrowing reality of conflict-related sexual violence, the agency said.
After enduring over three years of imprisonment and torture in a Russian prison, where she faced brutal physical abuse, “In that place, you become a person without rights,” she recalled of her torment in Izolyatsia prison, Huseynova’s resilience turned into activism.
Since her release in 2022, she has become an unwavering advocate for survivors, working with SEMA Ukraine to amplify the voices of those suffering from conflict-related sexual violence and to demand global attention to the atrocities faced by women and children in Ukraine.
Through her tireless efforts, Huseynova not only exposes the cruelty women endure but also leads efforts to secure justice and recovery for victims. “We will use every means to make their pain visible,” she emphasized.
“On an individual level, from supporting local organizations to advocating for stronger laws and supporting the women in our lives, everybody can make a difference,” UN Women said.
Argentinian activist Iren Cari and founder of Women’s Forum for Equal Opportunities stressed the need to support women in political life and centre their voice: “We need funds to promote women’s participation – not only in public policy making, but also to participate in elections.”
UN Women emphasized that governments must enact laws to ensure accountability for perpetrators of gender-based violence, particularly through National Action Plans.
“In parallel, funding women’s rights organizations is essential to support survivors and provide them with the necessary resources for recovery,” it added.
“The 16 Days of Activism remind us that every action, no matter how small, counts in the fight to end gender-based violence,” the agency stresses.
