International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

This graphic from the United Nations shows specific ways the health sector can eliminate violence against women.

Today, November 25, is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Established by the United Nations, this aim of this day is to raise awareness of the prevalence of violence against women around the world, with a particular emphasis on the ways in which the scale and nature of that violence is often hidden. International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women also kicks off 16 days of activism to bring attention to these issues.

In March, US Together hosted a press conference for International Women’s Day, featuring partners from across the community including Jewish Family Services, Muslim Family Services of Ohio, African Immigrants Commission, Advocating Opportunity, Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services, and Columbus City Council President Pro Tempore Elizabeth Brown. While the press conference addressed many topics for International Women’s Day, including celebrating the successes of women around the world and calling for equal pay for equal work, a special focus was given to eliminating gender-based violence. As US Together Co-Founder and Director Nadia Kasvin stated in her opening remarks:

According to UNICEF, more than 1 in 10 girls worldwide have experienced sexual violence at some point in their lives, and at least 200 million girls—that we know of—have undergone female genital mutilation, or FGM. These injustices and others like them occur around the world, including right here at home—Ohio has the fourth-highest incidence of human trafficking, and gender-based violence knows no borders. Violence against women can take many forms, including but not limited to sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, domestic violence, sex trafficking, and FGM.

As a social services agency, we are uniquely equipped—thanks to our outstanding case managers—to provide services to our clients who have been victims of some of these forms of violence. But we are limited on our own, and there is so much more work to be done by women and men alike to prevent violence, not just respond to it. And so, I have three asks for those listening today:

First, we must mobilize the entire community to make sure everyone is as informed as possible about the causes, nature, and remedies for gender-based violence. This means overcoming the cultural barriers among and between ethnic and religious communities, and dismantling stereotypes about certain religions and cultures. This sort of community education campaign builds trust between key partners, including faith-based and secular social service agencies, faith leaders, and members of government—all of whom we have here today!

Second, in order to break down cultural barriers, we must ensure that Limited-English-Proficiency New American women and men receive the resources necessary to understand and prevent gender-based violence. These resources should be translated into the languages that they speak, with particular focus on the large African and southeast Asian populations in Columbus. Additionally, interpreters working with law enforcement or medical service providers should be trained in the basics of trauma-informed care so that LEP victims of gender-based violence receive compassionate and appropriate interpreting services.

Finally, we must continue to ask government at all levels to provide adequate resources for prevention and response to violence against women. In particular, we at US Together know that LEP women with a history of trauma require special programming that is culturally and linguistically competent, but government grants and funding opportunities are lacking in this area. We have seen funding cuts to programs such as our Violence Against Women Act programming, and we ask that the Department of Justice reverse this trend and begin investing more heavily in focused responses to gender-based violence.

Below, watch the full press conference from International Women’s Day:

Now, more than eight months into a global pandemic, the elimination of violence against women is as important as ever. The UN and other organizations have noted that amidst the outbreak of COVID-19, violence against women and girls—in particular, domestic violence—has greatly intensified. The UN refers to this as the “Shadow Pandemic.” Over the next sixteen days, and every day, we must work together to end violence against women everywhere. Want to get involved? UN Women has put together this list of ten ways you can help end violence against women, even during a pandemic.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or abuse, click here for a list of helplines and other resources around the world.