The United Nations is giving local stakeholders from around the world a chance to speak up in an online conversation about gender-based violence. “With our combined efforts we can achieve great things," said UN Women chief, Michelle Bachelet. Today, the United Nations (UN) organization dedicated to women's rights kicks of a two-week online conversation in advance of the 57th Commission on the Status of Women next March. The priority theme of the 2013 Commission is the elimination and prevention of violence against women, while the review theme is equal sharing of responsibilities between men and women in HIV/AIDS-related caregiving. The UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) will enable civil society participants and experts in the field to weigh in on the issue of violence against women in web-based discussions ending August 3rd. The input from these discussions will inform two upcoming reports by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. Violence against women—physical, sexual, psychological or emotional and even economic—are a blight on the lives of women in countries across the world. Roughly 150 million girls under the age of 18 have been subjected to sexual violence. In some countries, almost three-fifths of women have experienced physical violence at least once in their lives, says the Secretary-General's Campaign to End Violence Against Women. In fact, women aged 15 to 44 are more likely to be raped or domestically assaulted than experience cancer, an auto accident or malaria, says the World Bank. Abused women are also the 36 girls and women raped every day in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), many of whom suffer in silence. On the positive side, there are now more than 160 countries that have implemented laws on violence against women and children. More than 110 countries have also created a support service system for survivors, says UN Women. Prevention “means striking at its very roots by addressing gender equality, ending impunity and providing comprehensive services for survivors, and abiding by strong laws and policies," said the organization's Executive Director Michelle Bachelet. The first week of the UN Women consultation will focus on primary prevention. The emphasis of the second week will be cross-sectoral response programs and social service provision for victims and survivors. Participants will discuss a variety of important topics, including the prevention measures implemented in their own communities; actions they and their organization have taken directly; victims' services women are able to access; discrimination women face in accessing such services; and any coordination protocols in place. Bachelet hopes that the participation of women's and civil society groups in the online discussions will help identify “critical gaps and challenges we face and successes we have achieved in ending violence against women and girls." The outcome document of the online consultation will be made public via the Web. The Expert Group Meeting on Prevention taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, this fall, will also learn from this document. ** To register and participate in the consultation, interested individuals may email [email protected] with their name, position, name of their organization and country using the subject line “Registering for online discussion."
