Unifem

Click here to access our Violence against Women Factsheet.

Violence against women continues to be one of the most widespread violations of human rights. Encompassing physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse, it affects women of all ages, race, culture and wealth. It takes place in all areas, in private and in public spaces, during times of conflict and in times of peace. Domestic and sexual violence continue to be the most prevalent forms seen worldwide, but violence against women takes many manifestations, from harmful cultural practices, abuse during pregnancy, so-called honour killings and other forms of femicide.

Globally, six out of ten women will experience some form of physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. The scale of the issue remains largely unacknowledged. Despite some progress being made over the last decade, new dimensions of violence against women continue to emerge, including growing trades in the trafficking and labour exploitation of women and girls. A World Health Organisation study of 24,000 women in 10 countries found the prevalence of physical and/or sexual violence by a partner varied from 15 percent in urban Japan to 71 percent in rural Ethiopia, with most areas being between the 30 and 60 percent range.

Gender-based violence is not only a violation of human rights, but has far reaching consequences, impacting upon families and communities. A 1994 World Bank study on risk factors facing women and girls aged 16-44, found rape and violence to be more dangerous than cancer, motor vehicle accidents, war and malaria. Violence against women further reduces human capital, hampering productivity and undermining economic growth. A 2003 report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that the cost of intimate partner violence in the US alone exceeds US$5.8 billion per year. In Australia, a 2004 study commissioned by the Office for the Status of Women, estimated that the annual cost of domestic violence to the Australian economy was over $8 billion.

UN Women’s approach

UN Women works with an overall objective to link violence against women to the source that feeds it: gender inequality. Working on multiple fronts, developing advocacy campaigns, working in partnership with governments, women’s groups and other branches of the UN system, numerous strategies are employed to counter the problem.

• Protective laws and national actions: In a number of countries, UN Women works with its partners on establishing legal frameworks to combat violence. Laws alone, however comprehensive they may be, must be followed by plans for specific national actions, which is why UN Women is active on this end as well.
• Measuring the problem: UN Women has been at the forefront of supporting the collection of data and research on violence against women. Much of this information would otherwise not exist, making it impossible to understand the scope of the problem, or devise the means to stop it.
• Prevention: Strategies to stop violence before it starts are essential, but a lack resources and visibility continues to make this difficult. UN Women supports prevention initiatives from the local to the international level, including in conflict and post-conflict situations, where violence against women is prevalent and horrific.
• Support for women’s organisations: women’s organisations have developed some of the most creative and effective responses to violence, often in societies where the problem is otherwise largely ignored. UN Women helps draw attention and resources to these efforts, and brings the voices of activists together across countries and onto the international stage.
• The Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women: Housed within UN Women, the Trust Fund offers grants to innovative projects run by community, regional and national organisations, to prevent violence. With relatively modest sums, grantees have passed new laws, trained police, and involved men and boys in stopping violence. The Trust Fund also collects and shares information about effective strategies that can be replicated or implemented on a larger scale.
 
Say NO to Violence against Women

UN Women’s Say NO to Violence against Women initiative continues to advance the objectives set out in the UNiTE campaign. The second phase of the UNiTe to End Violence Against Women campaign was launched on 6th November 2009. Run through UNIFEM (now a part of UN Women) with the support of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Say NO aims to inspire and highlight the actions taken by individuals, governments and civil society partners to stop violence against women. Actions large and small – outreach programs to school students, volunteering at local shelters, advocating for legislation or simply donating to programmes that protect women and girls – are all counted to showcase the global groundswell of engagement around the issue. The initial target is to reach 100,000 actions by March 2010 and 1 million actions in one year.

Say NO builds on the momentum generated in its first phase when globally, 5,065,549 people signed onto a petition calling to make ending violence against women a top priority. Since then, 69 Governments and more than 600 Parliamentarians have signed onto Say NO.
In 2008 Nicole Kidman, UNIFEM’s Goodwill Ambassador, presented over 5 million signatures to Ban Ki-Moon, calling for an end to violence against women. This tide of support continues to grow. Working through traditional and online networks, Say NO engages diverse ranges of participants, who are encouraged to utilise the range of web-based tools available on saynotoviolence.org, to highlight their advocacy work to a global audience.

Say NO further encourages donations to the UN Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence Against Women, which supports local and national programmes operating to create change on the ground.