By Chargé d’Affaires Bryan Hunt
On November 25th the world community will observe the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (IDEVAW). Subsequent to the IDEVAW, the US Embassy will be participating in 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence. The 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence offers an opportunity to renew the global commitment to free women and girls from violence, whether it happens behind closed doors or as a public tactic of intimidation. If it occurs in our own neighbourhood or on distant shores, violence against women and girls damages us all – men and women alike.
Gender-based violence cuts across ethnicity, race, class, religion, education level, and international boundaries. An estimated one in three women worldwide has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Research tells us that violence committed by spouses or family members is the most common form of violence experienced by women globally. Children are particularly vulnerable. Almost 50 per cent of all sexual assaults worldwide are against girls 15 and younger. Around the globe annually, 150 million girls and 73 million boys are victims of forced sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual violence. Women with a disability are two to three times more likely to suffer physical or sexual abuse, as are those living in countries experiencing conflict or humanitarian crises. Indeed, the use of sexual violence as a tool of modern warfare is an increasingly disturbing trend, meriting global attention.
There is no doubt that globally, the scale of gender-based violence is tremendous, the scope is vast,
