Recently, members of Soroptimist International in the Thames Valley joined hundreds of people from around the world for a special event from the United Nations.
Coinciding with the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women ( 25 November), the UN webinar focussed on this issue, which shockingly affects one in three women globally during their lifetime. Violence against women takes many forms including domestic abuse, child marriage, human trafficking and FGM.
The Secretary General of the UN said that the COVID pandemic had exposed violence against women as a global emergency requiring urgent action. Rates especially of domestic violence have dramatically escalated around the world. The pandemic has exacerbated the risk factors for it. For example, lockdown measures in many countries have meant that girls are not able to go to school, and women cannot easily leave their homes.
Mr Guterres said there must be a focus on the issue of violence against women, as part of the plans countries have for dealing with COVID. There were four parts to the strategy – fund, respond, prevent and collect. It was crucial to fund grassroots organisations which support abused women, such as shelters and helplines, and first responders.
However, prevention of the abuse in the first place was essential. This included addressing social norms and power imbalances. There were examples of good practice around the world, including awareness campaigns that challenge harmful gender stereotypes. It was also important to make sure accurate information is collected, but in a safe way.
Nicole Kidman, a UN Goodwill Ambassador, said that COVID was a chance to build and change things for the better. People need to learn about violence against women, know who to call, and donate time or money if possible. Amanda Nguyen, an American survivor of violence, talked about the Survivor Safe Haven initiative by her organisation Rise – which partners with businesses to provide safe places and hotlines for victims to call. The World Bank announced that they will disqualify for two years any contractors on their projects who break rules on violence against women.
As part of their commitment to this issue, Thames Valley Soroptimists have a longstanding link to Wycombe Women’s Aid, who they support both financially and with toiletry items, and shopping vouchers at Christmas. They also recently gave a donation to Kaleidoscopic UK, an organisation of abuse survivors which supports survivors of all forms of domestic abuse.
The UN Women website lists ten ways in which all of us can help to tackle a problem which Antonio Guterres described as “a blight on all our societies”.
Sushi Gow, SI Thames Valley