On any given day of last year, 140 women and girls died at the hands of their partner or a close relative, according to the United Nations. This means that every ten minutes, a woman was killed somewhere in this world.
In Europe, 64 percent of these victims died at the hands of their intimate partners, 58 percent in the Americas.
On the other hand, women in Africa and Asia were more likely to be killed by family members than by partners.
To bring attention to this scourge, the sixteen days between the observance of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25, and Human Rights Day, celebrated on December 10, are dedicated to campaigning around the world in an effort to raise awareness and mobilize people everywhere and bring about change against gender-based violence.
“Gender-based violence remains pandemic, with one in three women worldwide experiencing intimate partner and/or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime,” said Chris Lu, U.S. Representative for UN Management and Reform.
Ambassador Lu stressed that the prevention and response “to all forms of gender-based violence is a cornerstone of the U.S. commitment to promoting democracy, advancing human rights, and furthering gender equity and equality.”
Nonetheless, despite the decades-long effort, the dire conditions that women and girls continue to face around the world remain at pandemic levels, said U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
“From Afghanistan to Sudan, Haiti to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, conflict and crises around the world continue to exacerbate pre-existing inequalities that increase the risk of gender-based violence,” she said.
“To address the individual and societal costs of gender-based violence, governments must support interventions that are comprehensive, trauma-informed, and survivor-centered. The voices of survivors are critical in the global effort to end GBV. We must break the stigma against speaking out and offer opportunities for empowerment.”
Thirty years ago, then-Senator Joe Biden wrote the Violence Against Women Act. This law changed the way the United States responds to gender-based violence, as it recognizes that violence against women is a human rights abuse.
“The United States stands in solidarity with all women and girls, both at home and around the world,” said Ambassador Lu. “Today, we stand together to renew our commitments and redouble our efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in all its forms.”
