The International Day for the elimination of violence against women

United Nations marks 25^th November as the International Day for The elimination of violence against women. |||| Bidyot Bhowmik

United Nations marks 25^th November as the International Day for the elimination of violence against women. Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today. It is very sad that many of the violent activities against women remain largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, fear, stigma and shame surrounding it. As United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in 2019,  “Not until the half of our population represented by women and girls can live free from fear, violence and everyday insecurity, can we truly say we live in a fair and equal world.” The UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women campaign (UNiTE campaign), managed by UN Women, is a multi-year effort aimed at preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls around the world. Violence begets violence. Love and respect are mutual and reciprocal.  It is a very alarming report obtained from U.N. Source before that Worldwide, almost 750 million women and girls alive today were married before their 18th birthday. It is also very alarming and disturbing that 200 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation which is a very dangerous practice. The theme of the year 2020 for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is “Orange the world: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect”. Like in previous years, this year’s International Day will mark the launch of 16 days of activism that will conclude on 10 December 2020, which is International Human Rights Day. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, emerging data and reports from those on the front lines, have shown that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified.

• 71% of all human trafficking victims worldwide are women and girls, and 3 out of 4 of these women and girls are sexually exploited

Violence against women is as serious a cause of death and incapacity among women of reproductive age as cancer, and a greater cause of ill health than traffic accidents and malaria combined. Only 52% of women married or in a union freely make their own decisions about sexual relations, contraceptive use and health care.

by an intimate partner.

• Emerging data shows an increase in calls to domestic violence helplines in many countries since the outbreak of COVID-19.
• Only 52% of women married or in a union freely make their own decisions about sexual relations, contraceptive use and health care.
• 71% of all human trafficking victims worldwide are women and girls, and 3 out of 4 of these women and girls are sexually exploited.

Violence against women continues to be an obstacle to achieving equality, development, peace as well as to the fulfillment of women and girls’ human rights. All in all, the promise of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) – to leave no one behind – cannot be fulfilled without putting an end to violence against women and girls. Let us promise today and stop all kinds of violence e.g. physical, sexual and psychological forms of violence against women to make this world a better, congenial and lovely place to live for all of us free from fear and danger.

Source : United Nations Data

Writer, Columnist and advisor to CBNA 25^th November 2020