Violence against women and girls

Transcript

Every year the 8th of March is International Women's Day. The United Nations theme for International Women's Day 2009 is Women and men united to end violence against women and girls. In his message the Secretary-General included these remarks:

In some countries, as many as one in three women will be beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Women and girls are also systematically and deliberately subject to rape and sexual violence in war. ...

Death, injury, medical costs and lost employment are but the tip of an iceberg. The impact on women and girls, their families, their communities and their societies in terms of shattered lives and livelihoods is beyond calculation. Far too often, crimes go unpunished, and perpetrators walk free. No country, no culture, no woman, young or old, is immune.

International Women's Day reminds all of us, both women and men, to study and confront the abuse of women and girls. Every day, all around the world, women and girls are exploited, beaten, mutilated, raped, and even killed. Women cannot solve these problems alone. We men have to gather the courage to cooperate.

Perhaps we can begin by learning. Public campaigns like the White Ribbon Campaign and V-Day raise awareness among men and boys, and they encourage us to join the struggle to end violence against women and girls. As they seek to educate men and boys, they remind us that real men don't hurt women.