"Men treat us as servants," Adelah, a 27-year-old Afghan woman whose name has been changed to protect her identity, told UN Women.
"Afghan women should be silent. If you raise your voice, you could be beaten to death."
Violence against women and girls can happen anywhere around the world, both publicly and privately.
Whether it's psychological, sexual or physical, women are significantly more susceptible to gender-based violence than men.
This can manifest in many forms, including partner-based violence, human trafficking, genital mutilation, sexual violence and child marriages. Women and girls from lower socio-economic backgrounds are often disproportionately impacted.
Less than half of women globally seek help after experiencing violence, particularly if they already face layers of discrimination.
Much of women’s rights to work, vote, be represented in government and equal pay have been born through activism. And social media has become the new frontier in the fight for global gender equality — helping mobilise women locally and connecting them with others around the world.
The United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November will be followed by 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, calling for sustained change.
Increased access to support services and awareness of their existence is essential for the protection and safety of all women.
Local women's support helplines across the Asia-Pacific can be found here.
REALITY CHECK
One in three, or 30 percent, of women over the age of 15 around the world have faced a form of physical and sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life, according to the WHO.
The real figures are believed to be much higher as much violence against women remains unreported due to the stigma, shame and impunity around it.
Thirty-eight percent of all murders of women around the world are committed by intimate partners.
At least 155 countries have passed laws addressing domestic violence, but there are many barriers to the implementation of these laws.
BIG IDEAS
This quote is attributable to Sutanuka Banerjee and Lipika Kankaria from the National Institute of Technology Durgapur: "[Online activism] was particularly valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic when domestic violence increased significantly — what the UN described as a ‘shadow pandemic’."
This quote is attributable to Giulia Evolvi from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam: "Online anti-feminist and misogynist discourses can have very harmful consequences outside of digital spaces … To end violence against women, it’s crucial to first publicly denounce all online groups perpetuating misogynist and anti-feminist views by labelling them as hate speech."
This quote is attributable to Rabi’ah Aminudin, International Islamic University Malaysia: "Higher education institutions have more rampant and embedded issues with sexual harassment. Institutions that are characterised by precarious working conditions and are hierarchical enable sexual harassment."
PERSPECTIVES
Iran feels the wrath of a movement held down for too long Ladan Rahbari, University of Amsterdam The death of Mahsa Amini unleashed outrage at the government's treatment of women that had long been simmering beneath the surface. How women holding flowers held Japanese courts to account Kanako Kamata, University of Pittsburgh For a protest movement to succeed, it must fit within the cultural landscape of its environment.
Online activism both a boon and a bane in fighting gender-based violence Noraida Endut, Universiti Sains Malaysia Digital activism has helped women find their voices but, as in the real world, they are still subject to harassment online. When Tunisia changed its laws to protect women, it shook the Arab world Sahar Khamis, University of Maryland, College Park Arab women have been suffering from layers of marginalisation and invisibility over the years but a nation is leading the way to change that. Singapore catches the #MeToo train Ying-Kit Chan, National University of Singapore #MeToo may not have garnered much traction in Singapore but that didn’t stop women from demanding change.
Universities find they can't silence victims of sexual assault Rabi’ah Aminudin, International Islamic University Malaysia In the face of silence from their universities, students have taken to social media to demand better action against sexual harassment and assault. Voices still missing from online activism Sutanuka Banerjee and Lipika Kankaria, National Institute of Technology Durgapur The internet allows women to find solidarity but it doesn’t allow everyone to have an equal voice.
The flipside of women’s rights movements Giulia Evolvi, Erasmus University in Rotterdam The web provides a safe harbour to anti-feminist views which can have real-world repercussions.
How universities are beating sexual predators Lidwina Inge Nurtjahyo, Universitas Indonesia It’s been a long fight but the battle against sexual violence in Indonesia’s universities is slowly being won.
Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.
