UNIS/SGSM/1457
21 November 2024
The epidemic of violence against women and girls shames humanity.
Every day, on average, 140 women and girls are killed by someone in their own family. Around one in three women still experience physical or sexual violence. No country or community is unaffected. And the situation is getting worse.
Crises of conflict, climate, and hunger have inflamed inequalities. Horrendous sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war. And women and girls face a torrent of online misogyny. The situation is compounded by a growing backlash against women and girls’ rights. Too often, legal protections are being rolled back, human rights are being trampled, and women’s human rights defenders are being threatened, harassed and killed for speaking out.
The United Nations Spotlight Initiative and the UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women initiative call on all of us to join forces to end the scourge of violence against women and girls everywhere. The world must heed this call. We need urgent action for justice and accountability, and support for advocacy.
Almost thirty years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action promised to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls – it’s beyond time to deliver.
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The United Nations lnformation Service (UNIS) Vienna in cooperation with the Foreign Policy and United Nations Association of Austria (UNA-Austria) invites media representatives to a Press briefing on priorities and key events for 2025 of the Vienna-based UN organizations and agencies. Highlights for 2025 from other Vienna-based United Nations organizations will also be publicized at the briefing.
"Education is a basic human right and an essential building block for every person to reach their full potential, and for societies and economies to grow and flourish." — António Guterres