Unless the international community tackles violence against women, the world will not eradicate poverty or reach any of the other Sustainable Development Goal, the United Nations said on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The UN called for collective action to end violence against women and girls stating that around the world, more than 1 in 3 women in their lives have experienced physical violence, sexual violence, or both.
“For women to achieve their full potential and their immense capacity in development, in peace and in security, the violations of the rights of women and girls, particularly through violence, must cease,” Country Representative for the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in Sierra Leone.
She added that violence against women and girls is not inevitable but there are many ways to prevent violence in the first place, and to stop its recurrence.
“The effective legal and institutional mechanisms for access to justice, stopping violence against women requires an effort from all of us, from every individual, to speak out against violence in homes, workplaces and social settings.” she added.
“It is time for united action from all of us, so that women and girls around the world can live free from harassment, harmful practices, and all other forms of violence,” the UN stated.
In her remarks, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said that gender-based violence takes place hidden, but in plain sight, normalized so it is hardly noticeable.
“It becomes just part of life,” she said. “When we talk about leaving no one behind, we want to identify all these different forms of violence that women experience.”
She said the momentum has already been created by the #MeToo movement. This movement has exposed how men in authority can become serial perpetrators, and that men’s rise to positions of power does not always mean they respect those they are responsible for leading.
It also exposed how frightening it is for young women and young men to come to the front to expose those predators, because there is always the chance that they will not be believed. And it exposed how a culture of entitlement, where there are no consequences for sexual crimes, has left many women tormented in silence.
“Sanctions and accountability are critical for behaviour change, and for the coming generations to be socialized differently, so that they know that this is not acceptable,” she stressed.
The Day also spotlights the work of women’s rights activists, who are being targeted at “alarming levels”, and violence against women politicians, which hamper women’s rights.
SV/27/11/17
By Sylvia Villa
Tuesday November 28, 2017.
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