Asserting that a woman or a girl is killed every 11 minutes by an intimate partner or a family member, UN chief Antonio Guterres has said that violence against them is the most pervasive “human rights violation” in the world and called on governments to implement national action plans that tackle this scourge.
Secretary General Guterres made these remarks ahead of the International Day for the ‘Elimination of Violence against Women’ which is observed on November 25. “Violence against women and girls is the most pervasive human rights violation in the world. Every 11 minutes, a woman or a girl is killed by an intimate partner or family member, and we know that other stresses, from the COVID-19 pandemic to economic turmoil, inevitably lead to even more physical and verbal abuse,” Guterres said.
Guterres’ remarks come against the backdrop of the recent Shraddha Walkar murder case that has shocked India with its brutal details. He said women and girls also face rampant online violence, from misogynistic hate speech to sexual harassment, image abuse and grooming by predators.
“This discrimination, violence and abuse targeting half of humanity come at a steep cost. It limits women’s and girls’ participation in all walks of life, denies their basic rights and freedoms, and blocks the equal economic recovery and sustainable growth our world needs,” he said. The UN chief gave a clarion call to all to “consign violence against women and girls to the history books,” saying now is the time for transformative action that ends violence against women and girls.
