Call to action: Towards Beijing+30 – UNiTE to end violence against women and girls

Joint statement and call to action on the occasion of the official commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 25 November 2024, UN headquarters.

November 25, 2024

Women and girls are experiencing increasing levels of violence across private, public, and online spaces, exacerbated by intersecting inequalities and discrimination, including based on race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and age. Globally, an estimated 736 million women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner, non-partner, or both, at least once in their lives. Girls face particular risks, including child marriage, sexual exploitation, and abuse. By the time they are 19 years old, almost 1 in 4 adolescent girls who have been in a relationship, have already been physically, sexually, or psychologically abused by a partner. The ongoing backlash against gender equality, normalization of violence against women and girls (VAWG), effects of multiple crises, as well as rapid technological change, are creating additional challenges to overcoming this violence.

Women who are displaced, living in conflict or post-conflict situations, or in poverty are particularly at risk. Women in the public eye, including politicians, judges, women human rights defenders, and journalists, and those who defy gender norms and stereotypes, are often disproportionally targeted through threats or acts of violence. This can include digital abuse, harassment, and misinformation designed to silence, intimidate, or harm them.

Failing to prevent VAWG leads to fatal outcomes. Femicide represents the horrific end point for many women and girls who have suffered years of violence and abuse, and it is happening in every country.

Recent data indicate that approximately 51,100 women worldwide were killed by their intimate partners or other family members in 2023. This is equivalent to about 140 women and girls killed every day by someone in their family. Impunity is rampant, with only a fraction of cases involving VAWG resulting in prosecution and conviction of perpetrators.

VAWG is unacceptable. It should be unequivocally condemned. Countries should take immediate action to stop this violence from happening.

We know laws are effective in contributing to reducing VAWG. Countries enacting domestic violence laws have reported lower rates of intimate-partner violence (9.5 per cent) compared to those without such legislation (16.1 per cent). And while the wider global community is still not putting adequate resources into the hands of the most impactful actors involved in survivor care and support, there are signs of positive momentum nationally towards recognizing VAWG as a key area for investment. Almost 4 out of every 5 countries are now providing budgetary commitments for services addressing VAWG.

This year’s theme, “Towards Beijing+30: UNiTE to end violence against women and girls” calls on all duty bearers, especially Member States and the private sector, to act upon the priorities of the review of the thirty years of implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and Political Declaration—recommitting to preventing and ending VAWG, demonstrating accountability, and providing resourcing.

This action includes implementing comprehensive, whole-of-government and whole-of society strategies, in partnership with women’s rights organizations. It involves allocating adequate budgets, implementing laws and policies to prevent VAWG, including eliminating discriminatory legislation, and urgently addressing femicide and ending impunity. It focuses on prioritizing survivor-centred holistic support for survivors, including developing gender-responsive legal and institutional frameworks, strengthening the health sector, and providing psycho-social support for survivors’ recovery. It also comprises strengthening law enforcement and justice sector responses, including increasing women’s access to justice and ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable.

The good news is that we have more knowledge than ever before about what works to prevent VAWG.

We need to focus on evidence-based interventions, including those that promote positive gender norms, attitudes, and beliefs that are captured in the RESPECT Framework on preventing VAWG. The presence of a strong and autonomous feminist movement is a critical factor in driving policy change to end VAWG. We must adequately resource women’s organizations, especially at the local level, through flexible funding, including for survivor-led organizations and for those in decision-making spaces, so they can demand accountability for ending VAWG.

The 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 2025 is a unique opportunity for the international community to reflect upon its promise that every woman and girl should enjoy a life free from discrimination, exclusion, and violence.

The clock is ticking towards 2030 and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, including eliminating VAWG. We urgently need action at all levels to prevent VAWG, hold perpetrators accountable, and invest in solutions to protect women and girls everywhere.

Today, we call upon everyone to play their part. Everyone can make a difference. UNiTE to end violence against women and girls!

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