Brief summary of presentation of information made

This event focused on how the majority of victims of gender-based violence are women and girls. Experiencing violence ranging from physical, sexual, economic, psychological, cyber, gender-based harassment, and even stalking, women have dealt with GBV for too long. With the looming Covid-19 pandemic, cases of domestic and intimate-partner violence have only increased around the world, in addition to female genital mutilation and early/forced marriages. This discussion centred around policy solutions and the appropriate responses needed to make effective change for victims of GBV.

Amanda Nguyen, CEO and founder of Rise-Keynote Speaker

• Justice ad violence are intersectional. After her own experience of rape, she felt destroyed and not heard. With her team at RISE, they passed a bill unanimously in congress protecting survivors of gender-based violence. She channeled her own painful roots into activism for change and justice. 
• In the US, 33 laws have passed for over 35 million people experiencing GBV. 1.3 billion people around the world are sexual violence survivors. We can still do more.
• Refugees are wrongly told they are consenting violence by crossing our borders. However, it is a nation’s moral responsibility to listen to its hurting people. Peace is 2 not the absence of conflict. WE can hold a light to this darkest corner of human experience and allow survivors to be seen, heard, and empowered. The voices of people impacted must be at the drafting table with you when making policy changes.

Dagmar Schumacher, Director, UN Women Brussels

Five things we must do to see change:

1. Allocate additional resources and advocate for survivors.
2. Strengthen services for women experiencing violence, especially during Covid. We need shelter and risk assessments, as well as case management.
3. Build capacity of key services such as impunity: provide services for protecting survivors and train first responders how to react with these cases.
4. Put women leaders at the center of policy change.
5. Continue data collection on violence against women, especially during covid.

Twapewa Kadhikwa, Vice-Chair, Women’s Action for Development

• Survivors do not have the confidence to go to the justice system, because most times the system lets women down by not believing them or advocating for their basic human right to safety and protection.
• In her organisation, they teach women to know themselves by identifying the violent relationships that they’re in are not good for them. They work towards building entrepreneurial skills to give survivors a new life. When there is economic oppression, women revert to their old survival skills due to lack of education.
• This organisation works to build confidence and give women the physical skills to provide for themselves.

Prof. Djamila Riveiro, Black Feminist Writer and Professor of Counter-hegemonic Journalism at Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo

• The issue of gender cannot be discussed until the issue of race is tackled. In Brazil, every 8 minutes a woman is raped, and the statistics show black women are put in a much more vulnerable position.
• During Covid, Brazil has seen an increase in domestic violence, and black people are dying 5 times faster than white people due to them depending on public service much more. As gender violence has increased, policies against violence against women has decreased.
• Governments must think of all the populations and groups that experience GBV. Policy makers need to see the communities firsthand affected by GBV. Most communities aren’t aware of programmes that human rights offices offer, because it’s not communicated on the ground level. There is a communication issue. Intersectionality is not a concept but a tool to demand public policies. 

What was of particular significance to share with The Salvation Army globally?

If governments are not supporting victims and survivors in a country, then a victim must rely on NGO’s to provide protection and allyship in such a traumatic time of their lives. 

Tags: SDG5: Gender Equality