Increase Funding To Women’s Orgs: UN Secy Gen
New Delhi: Ahead of “International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women” observed each year on Novembr 25, UN secretarygeneral António Guterres in a message said that “violence against women and girls is the most pervasive human rights violation in the world” and highlighted that “every 11 minutes, a woman or girl is killed by an intimate partner or family member.”
At a time when the country has been shaken by the gruesome murder and dismemberment of the body of a young woman by her partner in a Delhi neighbourhood, Gutteres called on governments to increase funding by 50% to women’s rights organisations and movements by 2026.
The UN secretary general cautioned that other stresses, from the Covid-19 pandemic to economic turmoil, inevitably lead to even more physical and verbal abuse. He further stated that women and girls also face rampant online violence from misogynistic hate speech, sexual harassment, image abuse and grooming by predators.
This discrimination, violence and abuse targeting half of humanity comes at a steep cost. It limits women’s and girls’ participation in all walks of life ANTÓNIO GUTERRES UN Secretary-General
“This discrimination, violence and abuse targeting half of humanity comes at a steep cost. It limits women’s and girls’ participation in all walks of life, denies their basic rights and freedoms, and blocks the equal economic recovery and sustainable growth our world needs,” he added.
Asserting that now is the time for transformative action that ends violence against women and girls, Guterres said that to enable this governments designing, funding and implementing national action must make plans aimed at “tackling this scourge” and “involve grassroots and civil society groups at every stage of decisionmaking”.
Guterres said that this year’s theme “UNITE: Activism to End Violence Against Women and Girls” is a reminder for all to stand with activists around the world who are calling for change and supporting survivors of violence. “I call on governments to increase funding by 50% to women’s rights organizations and movements by 2026,” he said.
