International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Today marks 25 years since the UN General Assembly declared November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. On this day, as every day, the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) stands united with the global community in working to end gender-based violence (GBV).

This year’s theme “Towards Beijing+30: UNiTE to End Violence Against Women and Girls” calls for renewed and urgent focus on commitment, accountability and resourcing. 

More than a hundred countries have now adopted comprehensive laws addressing domestic violence, one of the most persistent forms of GBV.  In countries that enacted these laws, there are lower rates of violence than in those without such legislation.

Yet, despite some progress, women and girls, in all their diversity, continue to face gender-based violence.   Globally, one in three women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence.  Sadly, this figure has remained unchanged for over a decade.

In complex contexts, including situations of conflict, climate crises, health emergencies and organized crime, women and girls are even more likely to experience GBV, and less likely to receive justice.

IDLO continues to address these challenges through comprehensive survivor-centred justice responses to GBV, including in Honduras, Kenya, Liberia, Mongolia, Mali, Somalia, Tunisia, Uganda, and Ukraine. 

In Kenya, for example, IDLO supported the establishment of the country's first specialized Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) Court.  At least twelve other SGBV courts have opened since then.   

In Uganda, IDLO works with justice institutions to strengthen GBV case management, as well as with CSOs to provide gender-sensitive legal aid and strengthen referral and accountability mechanisms.

In Ukraine, IDLO advances the prosecution of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), including through capacity building initiatives for the Office of the Prosecutor General and the National Prosecution Unit.

Financial investment in ending GBV remains low.  Our research on “Financing Women’s Justice Needs: Global Perspectives on Violence Against Women”, conducted with UN Women, UNDP, the World Bank, and the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just, and Inclusive Societies, highlights that very few countries publish fiscal data on GBV public spending. Where they do, the amounts spent are typically below 1% of the total budget. 

Building on our research, policy advocacy and programming on gender-based violence, we call for increased action and investment in three areas: 

First, a strengthened justice sector response to GBV, in both formal and informal systems.  

Second, increased legal empowerment for women to access justice and claim their rights, and increased resources for prevention and for women’s organizations that are at the forefront in fighting against GBV.

Third, the elimination of discriminatory laws that continue to hinder the realisation of women’s human rights globally, and the strengthening of gender-responsive legal and institutional frameworks on GBV.

As we commemorate together this International Day, IDLO reaffirms its commitment to eliminating GBV in all its forms and protecting the rights of women and girls, through the rule of law.