News - International Human Rights Day 2007

International Human Rights Day 2007

Dec. 10, 2007—On this date almost 50 years ago, governments adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the United Nations, pledging to uphold basic rights and freedoms for men and women around the world.

Despite advancements in human rights protections, one of the greatest threats to women’s human rights today is pervasive violence that affects at least one out of every three women during her lifetime. In some countries, as many as half to two-thirds of all women have been physically abused by an intimate partner, according to the World Health Organization. Others have been raped or suffered acid burnings, dowry deaths, honor killings or some other type of abuse.

Countries also pay a high price for gender-based violence, including increased healthcare costs, losses in educational achievement, and losses in productivity and wages.

The Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) has taken action to combat violence against women by empowering women, youth and others to become advocates against violence. CEDPA’s youth programs educate girls and boys to recognize and understand causes of violence against women, understand its impact on families, and develop skills to negotiate within their relationships.

Facilitator at the Soweto YMCA discusses gender based violence with youth

In southern Africa, for example, CEDPA works with community partners to address a range of issues that keep girls from completing school, including gender-based violence. CEDPA’s non-formal education program in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland is designed to improve the educational and health outcomes of young girls by building self-esteem; improving skills in decision-making, problem-solving and negotiating; and increasing knowledge that supports personal health and well-being on a range of issues.

In initial program planning, CEDPA’s community partners identified gender-based violence as one the most pressing concerns limiting educational outcomes for girls. A new curriculum module on gender-based violence has been developed, and will be piloted by five partners in several dozen sites in the coming months.

Elsewhere, CEDPA has worked with community leaders to combat certain traditional practices that support violence against women, including female genital cutting. In Egypt, CEDPA has worked for nearly a decade to raise awareness and develop local champions to advocate against the practice, which has broken the silence in a number of communities and encouraged more and more families to oppose the practice.

In the United States, CEDPA has recently endorsed a new bill in Congress, the International Violence Against Women Act, which seeks to mobilize resources to address violence against women through health programs, survivor services, campaigns and trainings designed to encourage legal accountability, change public attitudes, educate and better address violence against women.

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