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Gender-based violence (GBV) remains one of the most critical problems affecting women worldwide, and 35% of women worldwide have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence. Many more are victims of economic violence, prevented from accessing education or participating in the workforce due to social and cultural norms that undermine women’s basic human rights.
In 2020, gender-based violence emerged as a crisis within a crisis with the escalation of COVID-19. Requests to stay at home, school closures, job losses, economic insecurity, food shortages, and other pressures have led to alarming increases in all forms of GBV in countries around the world, putting at risk the well-being, livelihoods and lives of millions of women. and girls at risk.
Now, as the world ushers in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, an annual campaign that runs from November 25 to December 10, it is more critical than ever to speak out, advocate, share and act while we work together for a future of justice and peace.
Here, we highlight how WILPFers around the world are demanding, and creating, change for women and girls.
WILPF Ghana: Ending GBV through the Power of Education
“The need for women and their partners to receive information about the roots and impacts of gender-based violence cannot be stressed enough. Education plays a fundamental role in reducing violence against women and girls ”. – Ayo Ayoola-Amale, President, WILPF Ghana
Although Ghana has been named one of the safest nations in Africa in terms of political stability, presence of conflict and relations with neighboring countries, women face high rates of physical and sexual violence.
Ayo Ayoola-Amale, President of WILPF Ghana, says her Section is focused on combating GBV by educating Ghanaians about harmful cultural norms. “Through our End Gender-based Violence Campaign, we are working to create a culture that values women and girls,” she says. “We work closely with women and communities to stop female genital mutilation practices and early or forced marriage, reduce the stigma that prevents menstruating girls from crossing the river to school, end gender-related violence. dowry and marital rape, and much more. “
Recognizing school violence against girls as a critical problem in the country, WILPF Ghana is also conducting a campaign to promote violence-free learning environments and improve girls’ access to education.
“The very fact that women live in fear of violence is an attack on their basic rights,” says Ayoola-Amale. “It prevents them from living a full and equal life. We are committed to changing that. “
WCLAC Palestine: Providing Field Support for Abuse Survivors
“Justice for women who experience violence begins with emergency care, the ability to report and access to legal support.” – Randa Siniora, Director General, WCLAC Palestine
In Palestine, high unemployment rates, patriarchal structures, and pressures to live under military occupation contribute to high rates of physical, sexual and psychological violence against women, rates that have increased during COVID-19.
Randa Siniora, CEO of the Women’s Legal Aid and Counseling Center (WCLAC), a non-profit organization and partner of WILPF based in Ramallah, says that COVID-19 has not only put women at greater risk of gender-based violence due to being locked up. with their abusers, but has severely limited their ability to communicate with support services and access care, protection and justice. These findings and more are shared in a report released by WCLAC in July describing the impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on Palestinian women.
“Before COVID-19, Palestinian women and girls already faced profound challenges as a result of Israeli policies negatively impacting the Palestinian civilian population, including a permit system that restricts the movements of civilians, and the effects of more than 13 years of Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, ”says Siniora. Combined with these existing realities, the closure of COVID-19 has had a disproportionately negative impact on women and girls, particularly the most vulnerable groups, including victims of gender-based violence.
As a leading resource for women experiencing violence, WCLAC has been working around the clock to support victims of gender-based violence. The organization developed an emergency response plan to meet the growing needs of women victims of gender-based violence and provides free legal and social services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to victims of violence to through helplines and online resources. WCLAC also joined forces to advocate for the approval of the Family Protection Bill, which will guarantee the availability of a comprehensive protection system for women victims of GBV.
WILPF Sri Lanka: Advocating for peace through disarmament
“We believe in promoting disarmament education to support sustainable peace in post-conflict Sri Lanka. Therefore, we educate youth and women about disarmament to prevent violence against women and girls ”. – Nadee Gunaratne, WILPF Sri Lanka
Although women in Sri Lanka enjoy better maternal and child health, life expectancy and educational attainment compared to many other South Asian countries, GBV rates are consistently high.
To raise awareness of gender-based violence in Sri Lanka and advocate for change, WILPF Sri Lanka focuses on addressing specific issues affecting the well-being of women, including the elimination of weapons to build a future of sustainable peace.
In 2018, WILPF Sri Lanka conducted a study exploring the use of weapons in cases of gender-based violence. The report found that factors such as poverty, alcoholism, drug abuse and community unrest have contributed to an increase in the number of SALW available in Sri Lanka, both during and after the Sri Lankan Civil War ( 1983-2009). . The report also found that small arms have been used to victimize women and girls, including through physical and psychological harm.
To achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 16.3, the report states that Sri Lanka should significantly reduce the flow of illicit weapons and financial resources for the arms trade.
In 2020, the Section put its findings into practice by organizing disarmament training for youth and civil society activists in Sri Lanka. Participants were educated on the role guns play in threatening human security around the world and their specific role in perpetuating gender-based violence.
Prathapa Tiranagama, President of WILPF Sri Lanka, says the sessions created a profound impact for many participants. “Many said it was the first time they were aware of the global context of weapons and the challenges they present nationally and internationally, which helped them understand the role of civil society in achieving disarmament and sustainable peace,” He says.
WILPF Switzerland: demanding justice through systemic change
“Think globally, act locally.” – Helena Nyberg, WILPF Switzerland
Despite Switzerland’s reputation as one of the most progressive nations in the world, gender-based violence is a widespread problem that affects at least one in five women in the country. One of the last countries to grant women the right to vote, Swiss society continues to be deeply influenced by patriarchal cultural structures, systems and norms that contribute to high rates of gender-based violence.
WILPF Switzerland is a leading voice for the elimination of violence against women and girls, including through its participation in 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence since the campaign began in 1991.
As part of its commitment to draw attention to the roots of violence against women, including the impacts of war and the global arms trade, in 2019 WILPF Switzerland mobilized several hundred women activists and their allies to participate in the national women’s strike, the first to take place since 1991, when women came together to protest the slow implementation of gender equality laws in the country.
“The women came to watch, speak and share as WILPF Switzerland demanded that the federal government end funding the arms trade,” says Representative Helena Nyberg. “Then we got together and joined the strike march in Zurich, which brought together 150,000 women, and 500,000 throughout Switzerland.”
A call to global action
Eliminating violence against women and girls begins with the commitment of each one of us to educate, advocate, organize and act.
Get started today by joining the feminist peace movement. Start a WILPF Section, become a member or make a donation to help advance the work of women around the world who are moving towards a better future.
