30 Years After Beijing, Let’s Talk About Gender-Based Violence
Gender-based violence (GBV) is one of the most prevalent, pervasive and demeaning forms of violence. It refers to harmful acts directed at individuals or groups based on their gender and rooted in gender inequality, abuse of power, and harmful social norms, disproportionately affecting women, girls, and marginalized groups.
GBV encompasses a wide range of abuses, including but not limited to physical, sexual, emotional and psychological violence, economic abuse and cultural or traditional violence. GBV is primarily driven by societal norms and structures that reinforce the idea that one gender (usually men) holds power over another. It is also further exacerbated by systems that enable individuals to exert control and dominance over others, often through patriarchal norms. Beliefs and traditions that perpetuate gender discrimination and normalize violence as well as financial dependence and lack of economic opportunities increase vulnerability to GBV.
Efforts to combat GBV include raising awareness about GBV and challenging harmful gender stereotypes, implementing and enforcing laws that protect individuals from GBV and punish perpetrators, providing shelters, counselling, legal aid, and medical assistance to survivors, involving local communities in initiatives to challenge harmful norms and support survivors and promoting gender equality, improving access to education, and economic opportunities. However, progress has been slow.
Gender Based Violence, Still A Shadow Pandemic
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in three women globally experiences physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Survivors of GBV suffer from a wide range of physical, mental, and reproductive health issues, including injury, trauma, depression, and sexually transmitted infections even death. GBV has significant economic implications, costing countries billions in healthcare, legal services, and lost productivity.
More than 35% of women globally have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence. About 200 million women and girls alive today have undergone FGM, a form of cultural violence, in 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East. In some regions, up to 70% of women have faced GBV in their lifetimes, highlighting the pervasiveness of this issue.
According to the UNWomen, every 10 minutes, partners and family members killed a woman intentionally in 2023. The crisis of gender-based violence is urgent. The killing of women and girls is on the rise, and it is happening in every country and region of the world. This killing of women, this femicide, must stop.
GBV remains a critical human rights and public health issue requiring urgent and sustained action from individuals, communities, governments, and international bodies to ensure a safer and more equitable world. The UN Women and UNiTE Campaign – a UN initiative to end violence against women by 2030, advocating for comprehensive and evidence-based approaches to prevention and response and the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV – a global campaign, are both international frameworks aimed at galvanizing action against GBV.
16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence
The 16 Days of Activism Against GBV is an annual campaign, observed globally to raise awareness and spur action to end violence against women and girls. The campaign begins on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25) and concludes on Human Rights Day (December 10).
The key themes and goals of the 16 days are to raise awareness by highlighting the pervasive nature of GBV, challenge harmful stereotypes and behaviours and advocate for policy change through pushing for stronger laws and policies to protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable. It is also to mobilise support for survivors, ensuring they have access to services like shelters, legal aid, and counselling and engage diverse stakeholders by encouraging governments, civil society, community leaders, and individuals to act.
The 16 Days campaign was initiated by the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute, held in 1991 by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL). Over the years, it has grown to involve participants from more than 180 countries, including governments, NGOs, and grassroots organizations.
This year, the theme for the 16 Days UNiTE campaign is “Towards Beijing +30: UNiTE to End Violence Against Women and Girls.” In 2025, the global community will mark the 30th anniversary review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action over the past 30 years in the 12 areas of concern.
Experts say, addressing GBV requires a concerted approach that includes public awareness campaigns, community events and policy advocacy for reforms to improve GBV legislation and enforcement; providing support services for GBV survivors and most importantly, engaging men and boys as allies to challenge harmful norms and behaviours that perpetuate violence against women and girls.
This year’s 16 Days emphasizes addressing the root causes of gender-based violence and femicide, promoting positive masculinity, gender equity, and economic opportunities for women and children.
Calling All Real Men
One of the root causes of violence against women and girls is inequality deeply rooted in social and religious norms, negative cultural stereotypes and patriarchal attitudes that promote toxic masculinity. To end the cycle of violence in our generation, we will need men as allies to advance gender equality by transforming masculinity.
This is even more pertinent on the heels International Men’s Day held last week on November 19. To be effective allies, men must challenge traditional definitions of masculinity. For generations, rigid expectations have dictated what it means to be a man: to be strong, dominant, and emotionally restrained. These stereotypes not only limit men’s potential but also reinforce systems that sustain gender inequality and encourage the perpetration of violence against women and girls. Changing this outdated ideas of masculinity is a powerful way to advance equality for everyone and address one of the root causes of violence.
As allies, men can influence change in everyday settings: in workplaces, homes, communities, and policy spaces. It’s not enough for men to merely support gender equality from the sidelines. To be effective allies, men must start with self-reflection—examining their own biases, privileges, and the ways they may have consciously or unconsciously contributed to inequality. This involves listening to the experiences of women, understanding their challenges, and acknowledging that gender equality benefits everyone. It’s not about men losing power; it’s about sharing it in ways that lead to healthier and more just and prosperous communities.
True allyship is about action. Men must speak up when they witness discrimination, violence or harassment, both in public and private spaces against women and girls. It means advocating for fair policies in the workplace, supporting women’s leadership, and challenging sexist jokes and behaviour. Men can use their influence to amplify the voices of women and vulnerable people, making sure they are heard and respected. It means an end to impunity by holding perpetrators accountable and establishing zero tolerance of violence against women and girls.
This is a clarion call to every real man to take on the challenge, embrace the journey of transformation and move beyond traditional roles; a call to be courageous and different, and join the movement towards a world that values equity, equality and safety for women and girls.
This journey is not going to be easy, but it is necessary. Together, we can redefine masculinity in ways that uplift us all and end violence against women once and for all!
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