Violence Against Women
Source: Star Africa
A two-day summit of the G8 has concluded in the United Kingdom-UK capital London, on Friday, announcing further £10 million to tackle sexual violence in conflict, and violence against women and girls especially in DR Congo, Somalia.
The UK, under its presidency of the G8, announced that an additional £5million from the Foreign Office; and the other £5 million from its Department for International Development (DFID), aimed towards supporting UK efforts to tackle sexual violence in conflict and violence against women and girls (VAWG).
"We can support today's historic agreement by announcing additional funds to support grassroots and human rights projects on sexual violence in conflict and projects addressing violence against women and girls", said the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague.
"My G8 colleagues agreed to call for increased funding for international prevention and response efforts. We need increase the resources available globally to combat this problem"! Hague said.
The Foreign Secretary also announced £150,000 to support the UN Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict. This follows the contribution of £1 million announced last year to support the work of the office of the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict.
The Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening said "this new research will help us find out what works to bring real change and will feed into our programmes to protect women and girls in current emergencies in DRC and in the Syrian refugee crisis.
...We know that girls and women are at their most vulnerable at times of conflict or humanitarian disaster but we need to know what works best to tackle the terrible, often sexual, violence they face, Greening said.
The DFID allocation, which is part of the VAWG Research and Innovation Fund, will fund work in up to five countries, looking at what drives and causes VAWG in emergency and conflict settings. It will look specifically at what types of violence takes place and which interventions are the best response and prevention for violence.
It could be recalled that the G8 meeting, tagged [a group of like-minded nations] kicked off in London, on Thursday, with Foreign Ministers from the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, France, Germany and Italy; who discussed security and stability situations across North and West Africa; as well as issues concerning Korea and crisis in the Middle East, including Syria and Iran.
Highlight of the London forum was the launch of the 'G8 Declaration on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict' jointly performed by the Foreign Secretary William Hague, Hollywood film star cum 'Special Envoy' of UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Angelina Jolie and Sierra Leonean-born Zainab Hawa Bangura; who is a 'Special Representative' of the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Both Jolie and Bangura shared platform with the G8 ministers to highlight issues bordering on sexual violence, imprisonment in conflict zones, especially in DR Congo, Somalia.