Source: United Nations MIL OSI b
The Commission on the Status of Women held an interactive dialogue today on gender-based violence, stigma, and stereotypes, focusing on the role of men and boys in ending the crisis, policy and legal responses to technology-facilitated violence, and the growing threat to women’s rights amid a “resurgence of right-wing authoritarian politics”.
The Commission’s two-week annual session has centered on accelerating the implementation of the Platform for Action adopted at the 1995 conference on women in Beijing, where world leaders pledged to achieve gender equality and uphold women’s rights. Two other interactive dialogues were held today on accountability and on the role of the Commission on the Status of Women in implementing the Platform for Action.
Delphine Schantz, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), moderating the first interactive dialogue, said that every 10 minutes a woman or girl is killed “by someone close to her”. A third of women killed by intimate partners had previously reported some form of violence. She emphasized the urgent need to raise awareness about necessary societal changes and to lead the implementation of effective prevention policies, including measures to combat the growing threat of technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
Holistic Action Plans ‘Best’ Approach to Gender-Based Violence
Emma Fulu, the Equality Institute, stated that the most effective national action plans adopt a holistic approach to combat gender-based violence, integrating prevention, response, early intervention, and a strong emphasis on healing and justice. National plans are often laid out in “beautiful documents” but lack clear, dedicated budgets for implementation. “And we know that prevention requires sustained, long-term investment,” she stressed. It is important to continue to learn “what’s working and what’s not”, she went on to say. From Fiji to Peru, she said, civil society and women’s organizations have been instrumental in ensuring that national plans deliver and Governments are held accountable.
Need for Comprehensive Legal Reforms
Selma Hadžihalilović, CURE Foundation, warned that “women face attacks by religious groups and increasing religious fundamentalism in our region”, also noting widespread discrimination and stigma against gender-based violence survivors, women and girls from LGBT communities, and women and girls with disabilities. “We have to work on strengthening our institutions and support systems,” she said. Additionally, despite some progress, women’s representation in political decision-making processes remains inadequate. “As we say in Bosnia, you always make one step forward and two steps back,” she stated, calling for comprehensive legal reforms that effectively outlaw gender-based violence and all forms of violence against women.
Brazil Tackles Online Violence against Women
Clarice Tavares, InternetLab, said that technology-facilitated gender-based violence takes many forms, including political violence against women and the non-consensual dissemination of images. In Brazil’s last local elections women — who only made up 15 per cent of the candidates running — received nearly 70 per cent of the offensive and aggressive comments on social media. “It has become clear that women running for public office are unequally target,” she said. Men receive negative comments based on their political actions, but women are attacked because of their bodies and their personal lives. Online violence has direct and profound consequences on women’s lives. In Brazil, criminal laws focused on addressing different forms of online gender-based violence have passed in recent years, almost all of them named after survivors. However, there is a lack of trust in the system, she said, also urging the need to hold platforms accountable.
Fiji Recognizes Patriarchy as Root Cause of Violence against Women
Laisa Bulatale, Fiji Women’s Rights Movement, said that Pacific women and girls face some of the highest levels of violence in the world. An estimated 60 per cent of women and girls have experienced violence by intimate partner and family member. Men make up over 90 per cent of perpetrators of violence against women and girls. “Violence against women and girls is reinforced by community acceptance, deep rooted gender stereotypes, harmful social norms and practices and impunity for perpetrators,” she emphasized. The root cause of violence against women and girls is negative patriarchal values. Without this recognition and understanding, approaches and intervention to engage men and boys will not work and will only exacerbate harmful social norms. The Fiji Government’s national action plan on preventing violence against women and girls recognizes patriarchy as a root cause of violence in its official documents. “Violence against women and girls is never acceptable, never excusable and never tolerable,” she added.
Surge of Right-Wing Politics Undermine Women’s Rights
“Around the world, we are witnessing a resurgence of right-wing authoritarian politics that actively undermines women’s rights,” said Joy Watson, Coalition of Feminists for Social Change. She warned that women’s rights organizations are under attack globally — many are being forced to shut down, while others are expected to do more with fewer resources, struggling to “make money stretch” as the scale and complexity of gender-based violence continue to grow. Women’s rights organizations are invaluable in bringing evidence-based insights into the design of policies. “If we are serious about ending violence against women and girls, we need more than just words — we need funding that matches the scale of the crisis,” she said. Women’s organizations need accountability that doesn’t buckle under political pressure.