Today the 25th day of November is set aside by the United Nations to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

The theme for this year’s celebration is Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now!
Statistically, 1 in 3 women have been abused in their lifetime. During humanitarian crises, conflicts and climate disasters the number increases. Most women do not like to report to the police for help if they are abused Only 1 in 10 women would go to the police for help (United Nations Report).
Gender-based violence particularly against women and girls should be prevented and not encouraged in whatever form; be it physical, sexual, emotional, psychological or financial.
In order to stop violence, our women and girls need to be empowered, obnoxious traditional practices like Female genital mutilation and believing survivors. With survivor-centered essential services across policing, justice, health, and social sectors, and sufficient financing for the women’s rights gender-based violence can come to an end.
Reasons why we must eliminate violence against women
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is one of the most prevalent, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today. It remains largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding it. It encompasses:
Intimate partner violence (battering, psychological abuse, marital rape, femicide); sexual violence and harassment (rape, forced sexual acts, unwanted sexual advances, child sexual abuse, forced marriage, street harassment, stalking, cyber- harassment); human trafficking (slavery, sexual exploitation); female genital mutilation; and child marriage.
*To further clarify, the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women issued by the UN General Assembly in 1993, defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”
The adverse psychological, sexual and reproductive health consequences of VAWG affect women at all stages of their life.
While gender-based violence can happen to anyone, anywhere, some women and girls are particularly vulnerable – for example, young girls and older women, women who identify as lesbian, bisexual, transgender, migrants and refugees, indigenous women and ethnic minorities, or women and girls living with HIV and disabilities, and those living through humanitarian crisis.
Violence against women continues to be a hindrance to achieving equality, development, peace as well as to the fulfillment of women and girls’ human rights which are the components of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Together we must Orange the World and put an end to violence against women and girls.

*Source: United Nations