Why should we eliminate violence against women?
Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread, persistent and destructive human rights violations in our world today, but most of it remains unreported due to the lack of punishment, silence, the sense of scandal and the stigma surrounding it.
In general, violence appears in physical, sexual, and psychological forms, including:
- Intimate partner violence (beating, psychological abuse, marital rape, killing women);
- Violence and sexual harassment (rape, forced sexual acts, unwanted sexual harassment, child sexual abuse, forced marriage, street harassment, stalking, electronic harassment)
- Human trafficking (slavery and sexual exploitation);
- Female genital mutilation;
- Child marriage.
For further clarification, the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women issued by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993 defines violence against women as follows: “Any violent act that is paid to the nervousness of sex and results in, or is likely to cause, harm or suffering to women, whether physically. Citizenship or psychology, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether that occurs in public or private life. ”
The negative consequences of violence against women and girls affect women's mental, sexual and reproductive health throughout their lives. For example, the downsides of lack of early education are not only the main obstacle to girls ’right to education and universalization, but in the end they restrict access to higher education and lead to limited job creation for women within the labor market.
While gender-based violence can occur to anyone, anywhere, some women and girls of certain groups are particularly vulnerable - for example, girls and elderly women, women who are described as lesbian, bisexual, or transgender Gender or intersex, immigrant and refugee women, indigenous women and ethnic minorities. Or women and girls living with HIV and disabilities, who are affected by humanitarian crises.
Violence against women remains a barrier to achieving equality, development and peace, as well as fulfilling the human rights of women and girls. On the whole, can not achieve the promise of sustainable development goals - will not leave behind anyone behind us - without an end to the violence against women and girls.
Important data
- One of three women and girls is subjected to physical or sexual violence during their lifetime, most often by a partner.
- Only 52% of married or associated women freely make their decisions about sexual relations, contraceptive use, and health care /
- Nearly 750 million women and girls are married alive today all over the world before they turn eighteen; While 200 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM)
- One in two of the two women who were murdered around the world by their partner or family in 2017 was killed; While only one of 20 men was killed in similar circumstances.
- 71% of all victims of human trafficking in the world are women and girls, and 3 out of 4 of these women and girls are subjected to sexual exploitation
- Violence against women, such as cancer, is a fundamental cause of death and disability for women of childbearing age, and a more serious cause that is harmful to the cause, compared to traffic accidents and malaria together.
The World Is Orange: The Equal Generation Campaign stands against rape
Efforts to prevent and end violence against women at the global, regional and national levels show that there is widespread impunity for sexual violence and rape.
UN Women chose 25th of each month as an orange day - for its " Unite-Say No -" campaign launched in 2009 to mobilize civil society, activists, governments and the United Nations system to strengthen the impact of the UN Secretary-General's campaign Unite to End Violence against Women
The theme for 2019 is the orange world: “The equality generation stands against rape.” Like previous versions, history marks the launch of 16 days of struggle that will conclude on December 10, 2018, International Human Rights Day .
It coordinated a wide range of public events, adding an orange touch to the prominent buildings and monuments to remind of the urgent need for a future free from violence.
Join the campaign! You can participate in person or on the following social networks: #GenerationEquality #orangetheworld
