Gender-based violence (GBV) against women and girls is one of the most widespread, persistent and pernicious forms of human rights violation in the world today. Nevertheless, these heinous acts remain largely unreported due to impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding it.
Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women issued by the UN General Assembly in 1993, defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) continues to be an obstacle to achieving equality, development, peace as well as to the fulfillment of women and girls’ human rights. The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November marked the launch of the UNiTE campaign — an initiative of 16 days of activism that concludes on 10 December, the day that commemorates the International Human Rights Day.
In Kuwait, this years’ campaign titled ‘UNITE! Activism to End Violence against Women and Girls’, is being spearheaded by women ambassadors stationed in Kuwait. The campagin will aim to mobilize all society to become activists for the prevention of violence against women, and to stand in solidarity with women’s rights activists working for a world free of VAWG.
Below we have compiled responses from various women ambassadors in Kuwait, as well as from the UN Representatives Office and the European Union Delegation in the country .
H.E. Aliya Mawani
Ambassador of Canada
H.E. Melissa Kelly
Ambassador of Australia
H.E. Belinda Lewis
British Ambassador to Kuwait
Mazen AboulHosn
Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Gediminas Varanavicius
EU Chargé d’Affaires a.i.
H.E. Haja Ishata Thomas
Ambassador of Sierra Leone
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