Statement
by Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations
Population Fund, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence
against Women, 25 November 2016
This
is 2016 and yet one in three women worldwide still experiences or has
experienced some form of physical or sexual violence, usually perpetrated by
someone she knows.
Moreover,
millions of women and girls have been subjected to other forms of violence and
harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation, which affect an estimated
200 million women and girls, or child marriage, with one in three girls in
developing countries being married off before the age of 18.
The
health consequences of violence are enormous and include permanent disability,
lingering psychological trauma, unwanted pregnancies and complications
associated with forced or unsafe abortions.
Exposure to, and fear of, violence deprive
women and girls of their rights--to education, health and decent livelihoods.
Protecting
women and girls from violence and harmful practices is not only a moral and
human rights imperative, it is also critical to the economic and social
progress of nations.
Agenda
2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals aim for inclusive,
equitable growth that leaves no one behind.
But
every day, millions of women and girls are being held back by the forces of
violence that prevent them from realizing their full potential in life.
And
that diminished potential in turn threatens to hamper progress towards these
goals.
Underlying
the scourge of violence and harmful practices against women is gender
inequality.
Gender
equality is a prerequisite for the full realization of women’s and girls’ human
rights and for the advancement and well-being of individuals, families,
communities and countries.
UNFPA,
the United Nations Population Fund, works to eliminate gender-based violence in
countries around the world, many of which are affected by conflict or natural
disasters, and where the risk of violence against women and girls is high.
Last
year alone, the Fund invested more than $93 million in the prevention of and
response to gender-based violence and harmful practices in developing countries
and in humanitarian crisis situations.
Sadly,
discrimination against women and girls remains pervasive in every society. It
is one of our greatest obstacles to socio-economic development.
The
unaddressed needs are immense. That is why, on this day, we at UNFPA renew our
commitment to do everything in our power to put an end to violence against
women and girls, and we call on all of our partners to join us in committing to
make violence against women and girls a thing of the past.
