International Calls on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, in a statement on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the "International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women" and the launch of the "16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence" campaign emphasized the United States' commitment to preventing and addressing all forms of gender-based violence. In the statement released on Monday, December 5, he urged the international community to take steps to strengthen efforts to achieve this goal. Blinken referred to the U.S. initiative "Safe from the Start" regarding impactful policies and investments, adding that improving and expanding the prevention of gender-based violence, reducing risk, responding to gender-based violence, and undertaking specialized actions in this area are priorities. According to him, the U.S. government allocated more than $273 million in the fiscal year 2024 for the prevention of gender-based violence and emergency response. The Secretary of State further stated that such actions are important for every survivor, every victim of gender-based violence, and for anyone around the world striving to create a peaceful and prosperous world. He concluded his statement by asserting that the U.S. will continue to work with partners, civil society, and survivors of gender-based violence to achieve meaningful progress in this area. The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women on Monday reiterated in its 2023 report that the situation remains "globally pervasive." According to the report, in 2023, over 85,000 women and girls were killed, with 60% of these murders (51,000 cases) committed by intimate partners or family members of the victims. The data indicates that 140 women and girls are killed daily, or in other words, every 10 minutes a woman or girl is murdered by their intimate partners or family members. The report states that the highest number of female homicides occurred in Africa, followed by the Americas, Oceania, Asia, and Europe. Sima Bahous, the Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, stated in this report: "Violence against women and girls is not inevitable; it is preventable," and achieving this requires actions such as the widespread adoption of laws, improved data collection, greater accountability of governments, promoting a culture of zero tolerance for misogyny, and increasing funding for women's rights organizations. In a joint statement, embassies of over 25 countries and international organizations in Romania, including the U.S., the European Union, Canada, Spain, Italy, Israel, and Germany, reminded that gender-based violence is "one of the most common and systematic" human rights violations today, encompassing forms such as intimate partner violence, femicide, trafficking of women, female genital mutilation, and forced and early marriage. These countries emphasized the need to hold perpetrators of these crimes accountable and provide necessary support to victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. The European Union's representation in Jordan, in a statement on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, reminded that 33% of women experience violence at least once in their lifetime. The statement noted that women victims of violence deserve shelter and support, justice, to be heard, and to speak out to break the silence and end the violence against them. Reporters Without Borders, in a statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, reminded that many female journalists worldwide, especially those active in gender issues and sexual and gender-based violence, are themselves subjected to online harassment. According to this statement, frequent and often anonymous attacks on these female journalists aim to discredit, intimidate, and force them to leave their profession. Reporters Without Borders also urged EU member states to swiftly implement the recently adopted EU guidelines regarding the nature of such crimes and to align their criminal laws accordingly.