International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls | International Justice Mission shield arrow-simple-alt-top arrow-simple-alt-left arrow-simple-alt-right arrow-simple-alt-bottom facebook instagram linkedin medium pinterest rss search-alt twitter x video-play arrow-long-right arrow-long-left arrow-long-top arrow-long-bottom arrow-simple-right arrow-simple-left arrow-simple-bottom readio arrow-simple-top speaker-down plus minus cloud hb pin camera globe cart rotate star edit arrow-top arrow-right arrow-left arrow-bottom check search close square speaker-up speaker-mute return play pause love

Nov. 25, 2020: International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls

Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, WASHINGTON, D.C. — On this International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls, the COVID-19 pandemic is sweeping the world, as is a second global scourge: violence against women and girls. Violence against women and girls undermines global health, education, and economic development in normal times. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, reports of domestic violence have increased by 20-40 percent in some countries.

As nations around the world struggle to recover from a tidal wave of illness, they must resolve to simultaneously “build back safer” by confronting the greatest threat to the health of women and girls: domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse.

There are five things national governments, civil society, donor nations, and international development institutions can do to increase protection and justice for women and girls everywhere:

  1. Build criminal justice capacity to restrain violent men and secure accountability for their crimes
  2. Support national hotlines to receive reports of gender-based violence and to direct callers to justice and social services
  3. Transition court processes to on-line adjudication during COVID-19 lockdowns, as the Philippines has successfully done with cases of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC)
  4. Invest in COVID-19-safe family shelters for women and children fleeing violent homes
  5. Engage survivors of domestic violence to inform best practices for law enforcement and social services for women and girls.

In 2020, this international day of awareness and activism on violence against women holds special significance. While so many of us are sheltering at home to protect our families and communities from the spread of COVID-19, for women and children who live with their abusers, home can be the most dangerous place in the world. And so today, more than ever, we must take stock of our response to this enduring crime and recommit ourselves to ending it.


Build Back Safer

You might also be interested in…

see more

Media Contact

We're here to answer your questions. Please fill out the form below and someone from our team will follow up with you soon.

More Information

Petra Kooman

Director of Marketing and Public Relations
pkooman@ijm.ca
519.679.5030 x.229

Make an Impact

Your skills, talents, and ideas are a force for change. From birthday parties to polar dips, your fundraising campaign can stop the violence.

Learn More

Thank you for signing up to learn more about starting a fundraiser. We will be in touch soon!

In the meantime, please take a look at our free guide: 25 Tips for the Novice Fundraiser.

Need Help?

Need more information?
We're here to help.
Contact us at events@ijm.ca

Test

Test