The world commemorates on this day every year, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and the launching of 16 days campaign under the theme “Leave no one behind; end violence against women and girls”.

The Geneva Institute for Human Rights (GIHR), confirms in this occasion its deep interest to end violence against women, noting that life free from violence is a basic human right guaranteed by divine, laws, declarations and international conventions.

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GIHR also appreciates international efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls, particularly efforts exerted by the UN and organizations concerned with women’s rights, within the context of commitment to end violence that threats women on daily basis at many of hot zones that suffers war and internal armed conflicts ravages, domestic and community violence, sometimes due to inherited social norms. Also, one of the worst forms of human oppression in the twenty-first century, is the violations to which many of African migrants are exposed to, including women, who cross seas and oceans and encounter death, in their quest to cross to the other bank of the Mediterranean, hoping for a better life for them and their children.

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Mr. António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, mentioned in his statement on the Day, that “It is time to further our collective action to end violence against women and girls for good.  That takes all of us working together in our own countries, regions, and communities, at the same time, towards the same goal”. The UN figures have indicated to the increasing violence against women and girls, that “more than 1 in 3 women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lives; 750 million women were married before age 18, and more than 250 million have undergone Female Genital Mutilation.”

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Women’s rights activists are being targeted at alarming levels, and violence against women politicians impedes progress on women’s civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights”.

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“It is now widely recognized that violence against women, including harassment and harmful practices, are major barriers to the fulfillment of human rights, and a direct challenge to women’s inclusion and participation in sustaining peace. Without tackling it, we will never fulfill the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

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GIHR, stress that women have special needs, being the most vulnerable group in the community at different levels. Women are normally prone to war indiscriminate wars, and pays the social consequences at certain communities, when losing husbands in war, and incurred with an additional burden, including family care.   

  

We at GIHR takes this opportunity to highlight the national legislatures of many countries that violate human rights, and that are inconsistent with the international treaties that such countries have ratified, in addition to lack of laws concerned with eliminating violence against women, noting the escalating domestic violence cases as well as community violence, as seen in intimidation, verbal abuses, at workplaces, and educational and public institutions, in addition to women isolation and exclusion from education and knowledge, social, economic and political power posts. 

    

We, at GIHR retiree our pledge to work for raising human rights awareness in general, and with women’s issues in particular, through trainings, and building the capacities of government institutions, national institutions and NGOs, and through our participation at different international for a to end human rights violations, for a world free from violence and conflicts.