UNITE! Activism to End Violence against Women and Girls
In many male-dominated countries, even though women contribute meaningfully to socio-economic growth, they have been excluded from decision-making that concerns their welfare and livelihood, denied access to fundamental human rights and deprived of basic social amenities, thereby widening the gap between women and men which have been one of the impeding factors to eradicate Gender-Based Violence.
Gender Equality can be achieved in varying forms: develop and adopt reforms to give women equal rights to education,economic resources, legislate laws to promote gender equality and the fulfillment of their rights, and institute mechanisms to call perpetrators of Gender-Based Violence against women and girls to book. Governments worldwide should also create a safe space for women and girls to speak up on issues related to all forms of violence against them.
This will act as a catalyst to prevent and eliminate all forms of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence globally.Today, the call to eliminate Sexual and Gender-Based Violence against women and girls through reforms and legislation is even louder. The move to eradicate all forms of violence against women requires the collaborative effort of all. For example, the Republic of Sierra Leone and the State of Kuwait have made bold moves to promote Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. The Republic of Sierra Leone recently passed into law the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Bill to give women access to national resources as well as include women in leadership and decision-making that affect their well-being.
The State of Kuwait has also made significant progress in gender empowerment over the years. Unlike other countries, women are now participating in legislating laws and decision-making. The recent Parliamentary election in Kuwait, which saw the election of women into the Assembly, is indicative that the State of Kuwait is committed to upholding the principles of Gender Equality to eradicate Gender-Based Violence.