Would Gender-Based Violence End With Us?
By Bobby Ramakant – CNS
“Let us pledge that gender-based violence will end with us.
For how many generations and centuries will we bear the brunt of this violence?
We are not asking for mercy from men or boys, we are asking for our right to live with equality and justice, just like them. Enough is enough. Full stop.”
These powerful words were delivered by keynote speaker Shobha Shukla at the Africa Speak Up and Heal Summit, organised by the African Girls Empowerment Network to mark International Human Rights Day.
Shukla, a survivor of violence herself, asked a poignant question: Who among us has never experienced any form of gender-based violence, emotional abuse, trauma, physical or sexual violence, or the shame of being gaslighted?
Not a single hand was raised.
The silence was chilling, underscoring the pervasiveness of gender-based violence.
Violence Normalised, Progress Stalled
“Why is violence against women and girls so normalised? Why are we expected to live with it?” Shukla asked.
A noted feminist and development justice advocate, Shukla leads the SHE & Rights (Sexual Health with Equity & Rights) initiative and heads the Asia Pacific Media Alliance for Health, Gender and Development Justice (APCAT Media) and CNS.
She lamented the painfully slow progress:
“Since 2000, the annual decline in intimate partner and sexual violence is a mere 0.2 per cent.
This means 99.8 per cent of violence remains unchanged year after year. That is pathetic and unacceptable.”
Weak Laws, Poor Funding
Although 165 out of 193 countries have domestic violence laws, only 104 countries have comprehensive legislative frameworks.
Nearly 48 per cent of countries globally lack adequate legal protection against domestic violence.
Even where laws exist, funding has declined since 2022.
“When we say one in three women globally has experienced physical or sexual violence, that is a gross understatement,” Shukla said. “The real figures are likely far higher.”
Ending gender-based violence, she stressed, requires dismantling patriarchy and rebuilding feminist health and development systems that prioritise justice and equity.
Global Commitments, Little Accountability
Echoing this call, Dr Pam Rajput, Emeritus Professor at Panjab University and former Chairperson of India’s High-Level Committee on the Status of Women, questioned the gap between commitments and action.
“The UN Charter begins with ‘We the people’, not ‘We the men’,” she noted. “Gender equality has been enshrined in international law since 1945, through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, CEDAW, and the Beijing Platform for Action.
Yet violence persists. Why?”
Despite decades of declarations, campaigns and the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, global rates remain stubbornly high.
Patriarchy: The Root Cause
Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation, deeply rooted in gender inequality and a major barrier to sustainable development.
Patriarchy, Shukla argued, is the core problem.
“There is no gene that makes men superior or women natural caregivers. Patriarchy conditions us to believe this,” she said. “Women’s work is never done, in the home, at work, even during holidays. Can women ever rest without guilt? Can men truly share care work?”
Patriarchal privilege, she added, robs women not only of safety but also of economic, educational, social and cultural rights.
Invisible Violence and Digital Abuse
Gender-based violence extends beyond physical harm. Emotional abuse and trauma often go unreported and unpunished.
A growing concern is digital violence, harassment, threats, explicit messages and online gaslighting.
“The message to perpetrators is that it is ‘acceptable’, while women are conditioned to remain silent,” Shukla said. “This is not our destiny. We must speak up, heal and reclaim our rights.”
Female Genital Mutilation: Violence Normalised
Another deeply entrenched form of violence is female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C).
Over 230 million girls and women globally live with its consequences.
According to UNICEF (2024), instead of declining, FGM/C increased by 15 per cent over eight years, with more than 80 million affected in Asia alone.
“Ending FGM/C is central to gender justice, bodily autonomy and human rights,” said Dr Huda Syyed, Founder of Sahara Sisters’ Collective and a member of the Asian Network to End FGM/C.
UNFPA has made it clear that FGM/C is never safe, has no medical justification, and violates multiple human rights, including the rights to health, dignity and life.
Firewall Development from Patriarchy
“We are born equal,” Shukla stressed. “No one is born to dominate or to endure violence.”
To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, societies must dismantle harmful norms, challenge stereotypes and hold governments accountable for delivering equality without discrimination.
Justice Beyond Ending Violence
Ending gender-based violence must go hand in hand with economic and social justice.
“All girls deserve equal education, equal pay, financial autonomy and the right to rest, dream and aspire, without guilt,” Shukla said. “Patriarchy makes us doubt ourselves. We must uproot it from within too.”
Gender equality and the right to health are fundamental human rights, enshrined in global agreements.
The challenge, she concluded, is closing the gap between words and deeds.
Bobby Ramakant – CNS (Citizen News Service) Shared under Creative Commons (CC)
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