Ending Gender Violence: UNAIDS Urges Action to Protect Women and Girls

• Nov 25, 2024

Gender-based violence remains one of the most severe human rights violations and a barrier to ending AIDS as a global health threat. Intimate partner violence increases the risk of HIV for women and makes it harder to access testing and treatment services, according to UNAIDS.

Globally, one in eight women and girls experiences sexual violence before turning 18. Harmful gender norms, inadequate sexual and reproductive health services, and fragile health systems increase women’s vulnerability to HIV and limit access to care. In addition, women living with HIV often face stigma, discrimination, and human rights abuses, including coerced sterilization and pressure not to have children.

UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima emphasized the urgent need to address the root causes of gender-based violence, stating, “We must counter patriarchy and poverty to keep girls in school, provide safe spaces, and fight rigid gender norms that perpetuate unhealthy masculinity and violence.”

Gender-related killings are the deadliest outcome of gender-based violence, with a woman killed every 11 minutes worldwide. In 2022, nearly 89,000 women and girls were intentionally killed, the highest number recorded in two decades. Women from marginalized groups, including transgender women, sex workers, and LGBTQ+ human rights defenders, face an even greater risk of violence and femicide, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, observed annually on November 25, marks the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. This year’s theme, "UNiTE to End Violence against Women and Girls: Towards Beijing +30," highlights the ongoing struggle to achieve gender equality, even 30 years after the Beijing Declaration.

UNAIDS calls for collaborative action involving governments, businesses, civil society, and women’s movements to create a world where the rights and dignity of women and girls are respected. This includes ensuring access to health services, safe spaces, economic opportunities, and leadership roles for women and girls.

The 16 Days of Activism, launched in 1991, runs from November 25 to December 10, Human Rights Day, serving as a global reminder of the urgent need to end violence against women and girls. UNAIDS continues to work towards a future with zero HIV infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals to end the epidemic by 2030.