International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women | No Women No Peace

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Today marks the annual International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a day designated by the UN to call attention to the need to prevent and eliminate violence against women.

Yesterday, I attended an event in Parliament organised by the Gender and Development Network to mark the day and discuss tackling violence against women and girls. The panel speakers included Lynne Featherstone MP (Champion on International Violence Against Women), Rt. Hon Alan Duncan MP (Minister of State for International Development), Netsai Mushonga (Director of the Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe) and Selay Ghaffar (Executive Director, Humanitarian Assistance for Women and Children in Afghanistan).

While much of the discussion focused on the challenges and costs of violence against women, what struck me most is the connection between conflict and violence against women. Not only is violence against women used as a weapon of war, but domestic violence against women tends to increase in and around times of public violence. Selay Ghaffar noted that over 75% of women in Afghanistan had experienced domestic violence in a country that has faced three decades of conflict. Netsai Mushonga noted that when women are actors in peacebuilding instead of just seen as victims of violence, this is a strong step in the struggle to end violence against women. The discussion highlighted the need for women to be part of peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts in conflict areas in order to prevent and address the high levels of violence against women associated with conflict.

The need for education and empowerment of women, security and justice reform, and women's political participation were some of the key instruments identified in tackling violence against women and girls. To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, join us in asking the UK government to make sure that the voices of women are heard in upcoming discussions on the future of Afghanistan so that issues like this are addressed.

Sign the petition and write a letter to your MP to support the rights of Afghan women.

Image credit: Womankind Worldwide/ Nocem Collado

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added by Shelagh Daley 24.11.11