Statement by the Director-General, Ms. Jan Beagle
25 November 2025
The International Development Law Organization (IDLO) stands united with the global community in reaffirming its commitment to eliminate violence against women and girls in all its forms.
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence is a reminder that violence against women and girls is not inevitable, it is preventable.
Violence against women and girls is a violation of human rights and a barrier to justice, equality, peace and sustainable development. Yet its scale remains staggering. One in three women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence in her lifetime, most often at the hands of an intimate partner.
The consequences are severe. Survivors face major justice gaps—from underreporting and limited law enforcement to lack of legal assistance and support services, delayed or unfair outcomes, and widespread case attrition. For too many, justice is delayed, denied, and simply unattainable.
This reality is rapidly worsening as the digital revolution increasingly permeates all aspects of our lives.
Emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, are accelerating existing patterns of violence and generating new forms of abuse, such as cyberstalking, online harassment, and AI-generated deepfakes, affecting millions of women and girls. Research found that 85% of women globally have witnessed or experienced online violence, while perpetrators often act with impunity.
Legal and policymakers have struggled to keep pace, leaving significant gaps in legal frameworks. Even when laws are in place, implementation is a challenge. Justice and law enforcement personnel often do not treat online violence as seriously as physical violence and have limited skills and capacity needed to respond effectively.
Online violence against women and girls is part of a continuum of violence and discrimination experienced offline, reinforcing existing inequalities.
Despite the scale of the problem, financing to end violence against women and girls remains extremely limited. IDLO's recent report, “Financing Women’s Justice Needs: Global Perspectives on Violence Against Women", developed with UN Women, UNDP and other partners, found that public spending on justice responses to violence against women remains minimal – typically far below one per cent of national budgets, and a tiny share of national income.
Across many contexts, IDLO champions a rule of law-based approach to ending violence against women and girls in all its forms.
We work to strengthen the capacity of justice institutions to respond to violence against women and girls, increase women’s legal empowerment to access justice and claim their rights, and support legal and policy reforms that better prevent, address, and remedy violence against women and girls.
For example, in Honduras, IDLO supported the Supreme Court of Justice in strengthening survivor safety in the digital sphere by helping develop a digital case management system with confidentiality safeguards, and a protocol for preparing public versions of sentences in cases of sexual violence. IDLO also supported the creation of an online citizen's portal offering women secure access to information and services available for survivors.
In Uganda, IDLO trained over 400 police officers across seven regions in survivor-centered, trauma-informed approaches to handling cases of violence against women and girls, leading to improved case management, documentation, and coordination with child protection actors.
We believe that it is our duty to build a world where every woman and girl lives free from fear and violence.
IDLO stands ready in solidarity and calls upon partners to scale up action and investment to combat violence against women and girls and deliver transformative change.