Orange the World aims to end violence against women and girls

Nov. 25 marked the beginning of the United Nations’ Orange the World: End Violence Against Women and Girls: 16 Days to End Genderbased Violence.

As Canadian women, mothers and grandmothers, we in the Grandmothers Advocacy Network are very aware of violence against women in the world. Many of us know of cases of spousal abuse, child abuse and elder abuse within our own communities. It is horrifying to know that in Canada, at least 78 women have been killed in acts of violence in the first half of 2018.

Around the world, one in three women will experience genderbased violence. In some countries, that can be as high as seven out of 10 women. Abuse can include physical, sexual, emotional, verbal and financial abuse and criminal harassment and stalking. Violence against women is exacerbated by wars where civilians, particularly women and children, suffer the most. Marginalized groups such as Indigenous women, women with disabilities and women living in poverty experience higher levels of abuse.

The most common form of violence experienced by women is physical violence inflicted by an intimate partner, with women beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused. Globally, more than 22 per cent of women between the ages of 65 and 69 have experienced physical or sexual violence. For low- and middle-income countries in Africa, this figure is over 38 per cent. Older women in some cultures in sub-Saharan Africa continue to be victims of harmful practices such as widow inheritance, accusations of witchcraft and denial of land rights.

Conflict around the world has added to the egregious statistics. Women as old as grandmothers and as young as toddlers have routinely suffered violent sexual abuse at the hands of military and rebel forces. Young women are particularly vulnerable to rape, which spreads HIV.

Another aspect of violence against women is the practice of female genital mutilation. It is estimated that more than 200 million girls and women alive have undergone such mutilation, which leaves them vulnerable to infection, health problems, difficulty in delivering babies and even death.

Every two seconds, a girl under the age of 18 becomes a bride. Niger has the world’s highest child-marriage rate, with 76 per cent of women married before 18. In India, more than 26 million women became brides before 18.

A recent study by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund and the Global Partnership for Education reports that ending child marriage could save billions of dollars each year, reaching $566 billion by 2030 due to reduced population growth. Girls who continue on in school are able to contribute to the family income, which helps the national GDP.

The UN is using the colour orange to bring attention to the various forms of violence that prevent women and girls from reaching their full potential. As members of GRAN, we are working to educate ourselves about these problems and to help others understand how people can help. We are very pleased that Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy exists, but we must ensure that the policy is being applied.

GRAN is giving all MPs an orange ribbon to wear in the House of Commons during the 16 days of the UN campaign to remind them to stand in solidarity with the women and girls at home and around the world.

We are looking forward to the appointment of a recently announced ambassador for women, peace and security, who will help champion feminist-based aid programs and advocate for more female participation in peacekeeping and conflict resolution. Canada has committed $25 million to fund initiatives to combat gender-based violence and to promote women’s participation in peace processes. What can we do as individuals? We can become ambassadors for global gender equality. We can denounce misogynistic rhetoric and violence against women (and men) and support groups that work for the rights of women and girls. We can help our children and grandchildren understand that gender equality is absolutely essential if we are ever to have a peaceful and secure world.

And we can work to ensure that the words of Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, will one day become true: “Violence against women is fundamentally about power. It will only end when gender equality and the full empowerment of women will be a reality.”