Violence Against Women
On 5 March an intrepid group of activists from across Africa will start the long climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, in the hope that they can reach its summit by International Women’s Day on 8 March. The group is as dynamic as it is diverse, consisting of 70 youth activists, sports personalities, human right lawyers, journalists, musicians, actors and doctors, among others; as well as staff from UN offices, NGOs, and governments across Africa.
Each climber aims to draw attention to the critical issue of violence against women and girls, and to urge national commitments from Africa’s governments on tackling the problem with holistic policies, services, laws and public campaigns.
The notoriously challenging climb is being organized as part of the Africa UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign, which is part of a UN system-wide campaign launched by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. It is supported by UN Women, UN country teams in Africa, the UN Federal Credit Union (UNFCU) and the Kilimanjaro Initiative, a non-profit organization that organizes climbing expeditions and engages young people for social justice campaigning.
Violence against women and girls is pervasive across Africa. In the sub-Saharan region, between 13% and 45% of women suffer assault by intimate partners during their lifetimes. Recent studies from the region show that between 16 and 47% of girls in primary or secondary school report sexual abuse or harassment from male teachers or classmates, and over 3 million girls in Africa are at risk of female genital mutilation/cutting. The Africa UNiTE Campaign will coordinate actions on these issues from 14 UN agencies, governments and civil society organizations in the region. It focuses on making sure that laws relating to gender-based violence are implemented, national action plans are made and carried out and relevant data is collected. It also seeks and promotes ways to prevent conflict-related sexual violence, mobilize and raise awareness in the public, and create safe public spaces for women and girls.
Governments across Africa are already rising to the challenge. In December 2011, Heads of State and governments from the Great Lakes region signed a declaration that committed them to responding, financially and technically, to the issue. This involves supporting the reform of the judicial and security sectors, the design of systems and services that can prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence, as well as allocating resources to address the issue within national budgets. The Kilimanjaro Climb aims to mobilize further commitments from African governments to end impunity towards violence against women and girls. The climb has united people from all walks of life for an unparalleled adventure and meaningful exchanges, in pursuit of lasting change in their communities. As a part of this, Price Waterhouse Coopers, a private sector partner in Southern Africa, is exploring ways to provide safe public spaces for women and girls and has adopted the campaign’s “Speak Out” theme for its corporate social responsibility activities on women’s issues. Meanwhile a host of African celebrities – South African rock band, The Parlotones, actress Rosie Motene and Nigerian journalist, broadcaster and blogger, Funmi Iyanda – have committed to joining the climb and radiating its message far and wide.
For more data on violence against women and girls in Africa and worldwide, including the data presented in this article, visit Africa UNiTE Factsheets; World Bank Report Addressing Violence Against Women Within the Education Sector and UN Women Factsheets