International Day To End Violence Against Women

Ending Gender-Based Violence

What Is Violence Against Women?

Violence against women is any act of gender-based violence that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.

It is rooted in the gender inequality that women face throughout their lives from childhood through to their old age. Violence against women comes in many forms; physical, emotional, verbal, and many more. It can come through different channels including intimate partner violence, workplace violence, sexual violence, family, and even societal violence.
Gender inequality and norms play a big role in the acceptability of violence against women and are a root cause of violence against women.

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Why Is Violence Against Women Prevalent?

There are various risk factors that contribute to the prevalence of violence against women, such as:

• Lower levels of education;
• A history of exposure to child maltreatment;
• Witnessing family violence;
• Attitudes that condone violence;
• Community norms that privilege or ascribe higher status to men and lower status to women;
• Low levels of women’s access to paid employment;
• Weak legal sanctions for sexual violence, and other forms of violence against women;

How To Eliminate Gender-Based Violence From National And International Levels

Violence against women and girls is rooted in gender-based discrimination, social norms that accept violence, and gender stereotypes that continue those cycles of violence. To date, efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls have mainly focused on responding to and providing services to survivors of violence. However, prevention which addresses the structural causes, as well as the risk and protective factors associated with violence is pivotal to eliminating violence against women and girls completely.

​Prevention is the only way to stop violence before it even occurs. It requires political commitment, implementing laws that promote gender equality, investing in women’s organisations, and addressing the multiple forms of discrimination women face daily.

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Other ways to eliminate violence against women includes the following:

• Create laws where necessary and enforce existing laws that protect women from discrimination and violence, including rape, beatings, verbal abuse, mutilation, torture, “honour” killings and trafficking;
• Educate community members on their responsibilities under international and national human rights laws;
• Create more awareness on the dangers of harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation and sexual initiations;
• Promote the peaceful resolution of disputes by including the perspectives of women and girls;
• Sensitise the public to the disadvantages of early and forced child marriages;
• Highlight the value of girls’ education and protect girls from violence in schools;
• Encourage and support women’s participation in economic development;.
• Raise public awareness of the poor conditions some women face, particularly in rural areas using specialists so they can feel safe;
• Encourage and engage young men and boys to become change agents by starting from the home;
• Give girls a voice by creating workshops that educate them on sexual exploitation, girls’ rights and advocacy and protect their voice.​

Join Us to Educate Girls to Eliminate Gender-Based Violence 

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Education can contribute towards the eradication of violence against women and girls. An educated girl has the power to speak up herself. Join us to give girls a voice. 

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