ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN SECRETARY GENERAL: «VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN MUST BE PREVENTED»
According to a survey conducted in 13 countries, almost half of all women reported that they or their female acquaintances began to experience gender-based violence during the pandemic. Violence against women and girls is becoming a "hidden pandemic" of our time.
The latest data available to UN Women confirms that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of violence against women and girls has increased significantly. Quarantine measures, when people could not leave their homes for many days and weeks in a row, loss of work, and uncertainty about the future - these and many other factors led to discord in families, quarrels, and assault. Almost a quarter of the women surveyed reported that conflicts in the family have become more frequent. Many admit that they do not feel safe at home.
But violence against women is not only physical. The burden of household chores, financial and legal dependence on her husband or parents, and the lack of the right to control her fate have a severe psychological impact.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for immediate measures to combat such phenomena in his video message on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls.
According to the UN chief, this violence is a "heinous crime" and leads to an emergency with far-reaching consequences for millions of women and girls in all corners of the globe.
The UN has repeatedly noted that there is a direct link between violence against women, the restriction of human rights and freedoms, and conflicts – starting from the use of rape and sexual slavery as a weapon of war and ending with misogyny, one of the components of extremist ideology.
However, violence against women can and should be prevented. The Secretary-General is confident that the right policies and programs aimed at preventing violence and helping victims of abuse are yielding results. To do this, Governments must implement long-term strategies to address the root causes of violence, promote the protection of the rights of women and girls, criminalize perpetrators of violence, and encourage a social movement for women's rights.
It is such an initiative called "Ray of Light" that was implemented by the United Nations together with the European Union. Last year, there was a 22 percent increase in the number of cases of prosecution of violators in partner countries. 84 laws and policy documents have been adopted or tightened. More than 650 thousand women and girls have received legal and other assistance in countering violence, despite the introduction of restrictions in connection with the pandemic.
UN Women is actively working to empower women and girls around the world. Seminars and educational campaigns are held under the auspices of this UN unit, support is provided to public organizations and human rights centers, and assistance is provided to the work of "hotlines" to which women who find themselves in a difficult life situation can apply.