25 November 2009

Global Campaign to End Violence Against Women Begins

Ambassador Melanne Verveer raises awareness of gender-based violence

U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer

By May G. Baptista
Staff Writer

Washington — As the world commemorates the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25, the United Nations is kicking off a “16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women” campaign where governments and civil society groups will work to raise awareness about gender violence.

“Violence against women and girls is a very serious global pandemic,” said U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer in response to questions posed by America.gov Facebook fans. “It also has very serious consequences for the destabilization of societies because communities are decimated; the family is decimated.”

According to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), up to six out of 10 women experience physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. “We are recognizing — more and more, thankfully — that this is a very, very serious global problem and that we all have a responsibility to work to address it,” Verveer said.

Women are subjected to violence in many forms. “The trafficking of girls, children and women — even some men — is one of the terrible problems that afflict our world. They are bought and sold like they were products and used for exploitation,” Verveer said. “It is a very big problem in many places of the world. It is a modern-day version of slavery.”

Verveer said countries need to have laws ensuring that those who perpetrate violence against women will be punished and to enforce those laws once enacted. The United States has the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), “which in many ways is a good model,” she said. The law is based on what Verveer called “the three P’s: Protection, Prevention and Prosecution.”

The U.S. federal laws to combat trafficking of persons follow the same “three P’s” model. The anti-trafficking laws help to prevent trafficking by increasing awareness through public outreach campaigns. The federal laws also provide resources to protect the victims and prosecute the perpetrators. Additionally, the Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons works with governments and organizations around the world to offer training programs, materials and funding for awareness campaigns.

“We help countries train their police and judges so that people who perpetrate these crimes are punished. … First and foremost we have to deal with the problem of prevention. We have to make children aware,” Verveer said. The office publishes an annual report on “what countries are doing or not doing that can be used by the citizens of those countries and governments to improve the situation,” Verveer said.

In September, President Obama celebrated the 15th anniversary of VAWA by issuing a proclamation that called on “all men and women of all ages, communities, organizations, and all levels of governments, to work in collaboration to end violence against women.”

“Far too many women in our communities and neighborhoods, and across the world, continue to suffer from violence. Inspired by the promise and achievement of the Violence Against Women Act, our nation stands united in its determination to end these crimes and help those in need,” Obama said.

The United Nations, governments worldwide and civil society groups are working together to increase awareness. Groups such as the Man Up Campaign in the United States will “educate and create a discussion about gender-based violence through the use of hip-hop music and sports,” said Verveer in her October 1 testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. “Man Up will enlist young people at the World Cup in South Africa to commit to being long-term partners of the initiative,” she added.

Many organizations worldwide have set up programs for the 16 Days of Activism campaign. For example, Prajna, a Chennai, India-based nongovernmental organization, will launch a series of events across that city and on the Internet. One of the activities, Burst Media Bubbles, has been launched on Prajna’s Facebook site. A group of media students will post links to media stories on gender-based violence. According to the Facebook site, the goal of this activity is to “generate opinion and debate on words, vocabulary and images that are already in the public domain.”

Fans can also link to Rutgers University’s “Official 16 Days of Activism” Facebook site to engage in a global dialogue related to eliminating violence against women.

A transcript of Verveer’s question-and-answer session with Facebook fans is available on America.gov.

Her written testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is available from the State Department.