In solidarity with ICGLR Member States, Partners in the region and worldwide, the ICGLR Regional Training Facility (ICGLR-RTF) on the Prevention and Suppression of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence joins the commemoration of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence to demand accountability, invest in prevention, and build a future free from violence against women and girls. This is line with the ICGLR-RTF mandate, which is to train and sensitize professionals, including judicial officers, police officers, social workers, doctors and other categories of people who handle cases of SGBV in the Great Lakes Region.
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign which commences on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on 10 December, Human Rights Day, highlighting that violence against women is the most pervasive breach of human rights worldwide. This period provides an opportunity to revitalize commitments, call for accountability and action from decision-makers, as the world approaches the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 2025 – a visionary blueprint for achieving gender equality and women’s and girls’ rights everywhere.
ICGLR-RTF reaffirms its commitment to actions that increase awareness, galvanise advocacy efforts, share knowledge and innovations to end violence against women and girls once and for all in solidarity with ICGLR Member States, development partners, civil society, women’s rights organizations, young people, the private sector, the media and women and girls; men and boys in the entire ICGLR region to collaborate in addressing violence against women and girls.
According to available research, violence against women and girls remains alarmingly prevalent across private and public spaces. Despite efforts to demand justice and accountability, and some notable progress in preventing and responding to Violence Against Women and Girls, significant challenges persist in fully addressing the issue. It is reported that in 2024, women and girls continue to be murdered because of their gender. Women in the public eye, including those in politics, women human rights defenders and journalists are often targets of intentional acts of violence, both online and offline, with some leading to fatal outcomes and intentional killings. Interlocking crises including economic crises, COVID-19, conflicts, and climate change are further exacerbating violence against women and girls with disproportionate impacts on women that experience multiple, intersecting forms of discrimination. Despite many countries passing laws to address VAWG, weak enforcement and discriminatory social norms hamper elimination. New concerns arise from an intense global backlash against gender equality and women’s rights, and the persistent normalization of Violence against Women and Girls in all spaces. Impunity remains a concern, with only a small fraction of cases resulting in prosecution and conviction of perpetrators. The rapidly growing access and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) has further impacted gender equality and women’s rights, exacerbated existing forms of violence, and created new ones.
These challenges require concrete actions, including holding perpetrators accountable, and accelerating action through well-resourced national strategies and increased funding to all entities involved in prevention and response to Sexual and Gender Based Violence. It should also be noted that women are not a homogenous group and gender-based violence affects some women to different degrees or in different ways, which calls for appropriate legal and policy responses.
The good news is that Violence Against Women and Girls is preventable and there is more evidence than ever before about what works. Comprehensive, whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches, that are supported by dedicated funding are the most effective for eliminating VAWG. These approaches must prioritize survivor-centered holistic support, gender-responsive policing and justice systems, and primary prevention efforts. Addressing the root causes of violence against women and girls is essential, which includes transforming harmful masculinities, challenging discriminatory social norms, and eliminating structural gender inequalities and stereotypes.
ICGLR-RTF stands in solidarity with the UN, all actors involved in prevention and response to Sexual and Gender Based violence and calls upon ICGLR Member States, the private sector, and partners to:
- Accelerate action to ratify and implement international and regional conventions, implement laws, Regional and National Action Plans and provide adequate, quality, flexible, sustainable resources;
- Hold perpetrators to account by strengthening law enforcement and justice sectors, including through gender-responsive policing;
- Ensure women’s and marginalized groups’ meaningful access to gender-responsive justice where they can seek remedies without fear of negative consequences; and
- Raise awareness that violence against women is never acceptable, creating zero tolerance across society at large and prevention of violence through transforming harmful social norms; and
Each of us has an important role to play in ending violence and must work together across sectors to address various aspects of violence. This calls for transformative approaches that foster critical examination of gender roles, regimes and practices in order to create or strengthen equitable gender norms and dynamics for fundamental, lasting changes for women and girls; men and boys.
What can you do? ICGLR-RTF invites you to: Be an ally. Speak out. Advocate. Call for action at all levels to prevent violence, hold perpetrators accountable, and invest in solutions to protect women and girls; men and boys in the Great Lakes Region and beyond. Orange the Great Lakes Region!