By Dr. Sabeeta Bidasie Singh

As I write this article, I am preparing to speak on a global webinar hosted by Helping Hands International on Nov. 25 to promote the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women”.

The World Health Organization (WHO) joins a worldwide movement that is calling on everyone everywhere to end all forms of violence against girls and women so that their human rights and well-being becomes a priority. The “WHO strongly condemns all acts of violence against women and supports all partners towards the de-normalization of these types of violence. Promoting equality among genders is a crucial part of these efforts,” says Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of WHO.

Yves Saint Laurent Beauty (YSL) has launched its promotion to support the Elimination of Violence Against Women titled “Abuse is Not Love.” This is a global program that targets Intimate Partner Violence through education and prevention programs in the markets and communities YSL serves. This is a major social issue as one in three women will experience violence from their partners during their lifetime and of these women, a small handful will receive justice. Intimate partner violence is the most common form of violence women encounter and it usually takes the shape of sexual, emotional, financial, and physical control by their partner. In the U.S., one woman is killed by her partner every three days, and similar patterns are seen in France and the U.K. During the covid-19 pandemic there is an increase of between 30 to 60 percent of Intimate Partner Violence being recorded brought about by the intense stress and trauma of the lockdown, where women have become punching bags to relieve stress of their partners. This has been exacerbated by the fact that support organizations were forced to close their doors during the pandemic, leaving abused women with little room for escape.

I must commend YSL on the three pillars they have based their “Abuse is Not Love” program on, where the focus is on (i) research into thought leadership around youths and prevention, (ii) educating people on the signs of Intimate Partner Violence, such as citing “mental abuse” as one of the most difficult types of abuse to detect, and (iii) training their team members to promote the program in every walk of their lives while building a network marketing channel.

It is not just YSL but its companies and organizations everywhere that are taking a stand against violence and calling for its end. Naripokkho – a women’s rights organization held a program in Dhaka to protest the growing violence against women in their community and across the country. In Africa, the UN Women Executive Leader appeals to the Government to take firm action to eliminate violence against women. Similar movements are seen across Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, and strong patriarchal countries to create balance of power and gender equality.

There is a need for a strong legal response to help end impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence and bring justice to the victims. I believe that having a toolkit that includes how forensic medical examinations are conducted and reported should be done so that there is consistency in how the evidence is processed before going to trial, removing barriers and creating open lines for women to feel comfortable to document the events that led to the buildup and actual acts of violence against them. The culture of criminal proceedings in matters of domestic abuse and rape needs to be recreated so that it is not one of shame but one that frees the victims. If these policies are strengthened, the response to sexual violence will be viewed more seriously by medical professionals, social services, forensic and lab services, the police and the legal system.

I have already established that globally, one in three women will experience physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence by someone other than a partner in their lifetime. The women who experience partner violence are twice as likely to suffer from depression and 1.5 times more likely to have a sexually transmitted infection such as HIV compared to those who have never been exposed to such violence. They are also more likely to have unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions, and if the violence occurs during pregnancy, they are more likely to suffer miscarriages, stillbirths, premature births and low birth weight babies.

It is time to stand up for women everywhere, violence against women must end NOW.

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