UN Women/Carlos Rivera A group of female graffiti artists painted orange murals in Guatemala City in support of UN Women and the UNiTE campaign to End Violence against Women.
In a statement kicking off the âUNiTE! Activism to End Violence against Women and Girls campaignâ, they reminded that an estimated one in three women experience gender-based violence during her lifetime.
Moreover, that last year, nearly one in five 20- to 24-year-old women had been married before turning 18 and less than 40 per cent who experience violence seek help of any sort. Â
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Violent triggers
At the same time, global emergencies, crises, and conflict have further intensified VAWG and exacerbated the drivers and risk factors.
âSince the start of COVID-19, 45 per cent of women reported that they or a woman they know has experienced a form of VAWGâ, according to the statement.
Natural disasters also aggravate all types of gender-based violence, as witnessed in 2005 during Hurricane Katrina, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, in 2011âs tropical cyclones in Vanuatu, and from 2019 to 2022 during bush fires in Australia.
Meanwhile, existing forms of gender-based violence have grown online as anti-rights movements have flourished.
These have resulted in âshrinking space for civil society, a backlash against womenâs rights organizations, and a rise in attacks against women human rights defenders and activistsâ, the UN entities stated.
Combatting the scourge
While ending gender-based VAWG might seem unimaginable, the UN underscored that âit is notâ.
âLarge-scale reductions in violence against women can be achieved through intensive feminist activism and advocacy coupled with evidence and practice-informed multisectoral action and investmentâ, the statement continued.
Citing evidence suggesting that âstrong and autonomous feminist movementsâ as being âthe most critical factorâ in ending VAWG, UN Women and its sister agencies are calling upon governments and partners to âact now to end violence against women and show their solidarity to womenâs rights movements and activistsâ.
Taking steps, making a stand
Through the UNiTE campaign, the UN is asking for increased long-term funding and support to womenâs rights organizations working on solutions to prevent and respond to VAWG.
It is also advocating for resisting the rollback on womenâs rights; amplifying the voices of women human rights defenders and feminist womenâs movements; mobilizing more actors to join movements to end VAGW globally; and promoting the leadership and participation of women and girls in political, policy making, and decision-making spaces.
The statement also underscores the need to strengthen protections to prevent and eliminate violence, harassment, threats, intimidation, and discrimination against women human rights defenders and womenâs rights advocates/activists.
Against the Pushback, We #PushForward | 16 Days 2022