Director-General/Executive Director
Your Excellency Ms. Susanne Raab,
Federal Minister for Women, Family Affairs, Integration and Media,
Distinguished Chairs,
Ambassadors,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am pleased to speak to you at this very special event, held on the occasion of the 16 days of activism for the elimination of violence against women and girls.
We are honoured to have Minister Raab with us today, as Austria continues to be a strong and reliable partner in our efforts to protect and empower women.
I want to thank the Chairs of the CND and CCPCJ for using the convening power of the commissions on this critical topic.
I also want to thank our distinguished panelists, and all of you joining us today, for devoting your time and attention to the women and girls who need us.
And indeed, they need us.
Across the globe, violence against women and girls continues to be widespread and underreported.
The WHO found that almost one in three women has experienced violence at least once in her lifetime, and those are only the ones we know about.
The results are often lethal.
Next Monday, UNODC and UN Women will be launching a new joint study on femicide. The findings are not surprising, but they are tragic.
Out of all female homicides, the majority are femicides, meaning that women are killed for being women.
And out of all femicides, the majority are killed by intimate partners or family members.
According to the report, a woman is killed by someone close to her every ten minutes.
I ask you to take a moment to think of every woman who will have been killed by the time our event today is over.
I ask you to think of the survivors, the women and girls who have suffered - or continue to suffer - gender-based violence and its lifelong consequences, often without help or recourse.
And I ask you to think of the women who have been displaced by wars and climate disasters, and those who are living in conflict or poverty, facing heightened risks of violence and abuse every day.
Excellencies,
Much of the death and trauma faced by women and girls today is preventable, and much of the support they need can be provided.
We need to unite and act. And I want to highlight some specific areas for action.
First and foremost, we need education and economic empowerment for all women, everywhere.
Women are more resilient when they have education and training, jobs and incomes, and inclusion in the formal financial system, for access to credit and savings.
Violence can affect any woman regardless of her circumstances, but we can reduce vulnerabilities by pushing for equality.
And that requires women working and leading in every sector: politicians and parliamentarians, CEOs and lawyers, police officers and judges.
In the justice sector, especially, women need to be present across the chain, from reporting to investigation and prosecution, creating spaces where victims of gender-based violence are respected and protected.
UNODC is promoting such representation through our women in justice/for justice initiative.
Second, and on that topic, we need to step up criminal justice responses.
Justice institutions must be able to deliver convictions and appropriate penalties for violence against women and girls, to end impunity.
And victims must be able to report violence safely, transparently, and accessibly, while getting the support and care they need.
UNODC has helped build criminal justice capacities in 60 countries on violence against women and girls over the past decade, and we are carrying on this work.
Protecting those who speak up helps protect every woman and girl.
Third, we need to ensure that new technology is working for victims and not against them.
Digital technologies have facilitated some forms of violence against women and girls, from defamation and cyber-harassment to video and image-based abuse.
The newly agreed UN convention on cybercrime can be a foundation for legislation, training, and cooperation across borders and with the private sector, to make digital spaces safe for women and girls.
We also need to leverage technology to the benefit of victims.
Digitization of justice systems can help protect all victims. And new tech can provide new tools against violence.
For example, our Office is helping authorities in Mexico use artificial intelligence to screen emergency calls. We will continue to explore how to use tech for good.
Fourth and finally, we need to improve the collection, use, and dissemination of data.
Data is the basis for stronger responses to violence against women and girls.
Better data coverage can improve our understanding of the different types of violence that women face in different settings, from women on the move, to women in conflict, to women at home and in the workplace.
The UN statistical framework to measure femicide should also be used much more widely to understand patterns in gender-based killings.
And UNODC is currently working with partners in civil society and academia to pilot in-depth femicide reviews, looking at past cases to be better prepared for future ones.
Results of such important work need to be widely disseminated.
Excellencies,
We can only end violence against women if we unite across borders, across cultures, and across sectors.
Governments must take the lead, but they cannot do it alone.
Businesses have responsibilities. Academia has much-needed insights. And civil society organizations, especially women’s organizations, have an irreplaceable role and voice.
Together, we need to live up to the commitments that the world has made to every woman and girl.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In this era of political and geopolitical turbulence, it is easy for eyes and ears to turn away from the victims of gender-based violence.
We might think we have bigger things to worry about.
But times of crisis are precisely when we need to pay the most attention, because that is when violence escalates, and resources dwindle.
For the next weeks and beyond, let’s mobilize attention and action for women and girls, to protect their lives, their safety, and their dignity.
Thank you.
