UN HRC53: UK Statement on violence against women and girls
Interactive dialogue with Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes & consequences. Delivered by Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French.
Thank you, Mr President,
Gender-based violence remains one of the most systemic human rights issues we face today. Across their lifetime, 1 in 3 women are subjected to physical or sexual violence. Despite this, we see perpetrators of these crimes evade justice and the rights of women and girls continuously abused.
I call upon all delegations to be mindful of this stark reality and our responsibility to end all forms of gender-based violence. Which is why we need to redouble our collective, international efforts. In March, the UK released its International Women and Girls Strategy outlining our increased ambition to promote the rights, freedoms and potential of women and girls everywhere, including ending violence.
In the UK, our Tackling Violence against Women and Girls Strategy sets out action to prevent these crimes from occurring in the first place, to put victims and survivors at the heart of our response and to pursue perpetrators. We know all forms of violence against women and girls remains pervasive and often hidden from society.
The UK has expanded our (legal) definition of domestic abuse to include coercive and controlling behaviours. It also explicitly recognises children who see, hear or experience domestic abuse as victims and survivors in their own right.
Special Rapporteur,
How can we all better integrate the leadership of survivors and women’s rights organisations in the global response to gender-based violence?
Thank you.