The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General, Dr Carla Barnett, is asking regional countries to invest, so that they could prevent violence against women and girls and the empowerment of vulnerable groups through access to education and quality healthcare services.
In a statement, marking the launch of the CARICOM Secretariat’s annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, which ends on the 19th of December, Barnett said the campaign joins four important observances, namely the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Human Rights Defenders’ Day on November 29, World AIDS Day on December 1 and Human Rights Day on 10 December.
The campaign started by activists over the past three decades at the inauguration of the Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991. In 2008 to support this civil society-led initiative, the United Nations Secretary-General started a campaign “UNITE by 2030” to End Violence against Women, which runs parallel to the 16 Days of Activism.
Barnett said that this year’s theme for the UNITE Campaign, “UNITE! wanting to stop violence against women and girls”, brings into sharp focus the importance of financing different approaches to stop violence against women and girls (VAWG).
She also said the theme is also associated with the 2024 priority theme of the Commission on the Status of Women, focused on “Accelerating the Achievement of Gender Equality and the Empowerment of all Women and Girls by Addressing Poverty and Strengthening Institutions and Financing with a Gender Perspective”.
It will fasten the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically in Goal 5.
The campaign calls civil society organizations, youth, women’s organizations, development partners, media and the private sector to join forces to address VAWG.
Barnett said, VAWG remains one of the most pervasive forms of human rights violations in the world and cuts across all races, cultures, genders and educational backgrounds. In spite of the existence of regional and global policies and legislation to combat VAWG, weak enforcement and discriminatory practices remain significant barriers to ending VAWG.
She said globally, an estimated 736 million women – almost one in three – have been exposed to physical or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their lives.
In the Caribbean, prevalence surveys, which was conducted between 2016 and 2019 show that approximately one in two women is affected by intimate partner violence, which is higher than the global average.
The CARICOM Secretary General said that violence against women and girls has increased over time and across various settings, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic when women were forced to shelter in place with their abusers.
Many members state that, reported exponential rates of increased cases. These reports were supported by Rapid Gender Assessments Surveys on the impact of COVID-19 on VAW conducted by UN Women in 13 countries. Barnett said, noting that violence against women also has broader social and economic consequences for families, communities, and societies.
All must continue to invest in preventing violence against our women and girls. It is an investment in our shared future. Assigning resources to prevention programs, education and support services, is an important step toward creating sustainable change.
By prioritizing prevention, we allow communities to break the cycle of violence and build societies that uphold the rights and well-being of every person, especially our women and girls. Barnett is advising people to wear the colour orange throughout the 16 Days of Activism, and on the 25th of each month, as a symbol of hope for a brighter future where women and girls can live free from violence.
