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A commitment to all women
The countless accounts by women survivors who have experienced physical and mental violence of any form are incredibly horrific as they highlight how so many women continually navigate through various forms of violence.The countless accounts by women survivors who have experienced physical and mental violence of any form are incredibly horrific as they highlight how so many women continually navigate through various forms of violence. For us, the male heads of UN agencies in Nepal, these painful stories are woven into our work. They compel us to speak out for the respect for the human rights of our female friends, counterparts, colleagues, community members.
According to a 2014 survey conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 86 percent of men surveyed in Nepal reported watching a woman endure either physical or verbal abuse. For female survivors of these attacks, at home or in public, the path to seeking support is so steep that 61 percent of women and girls do not report incidents they experience. There are various factors that exacerbate gender-based violence including economic dependency, gaps in education, lack of legal identity documents, social and religious customs and other vulnerabilities including legal status.
The next 16 days of activism against gender based violence is a chance to commit to fight violence against women and girls and to show solidarity with our female colleagues, friends, and strangers. It is a chance to say loud and clear that a man who abuses a woman deserves neither the respect of his community nor the love of his family. It is a chance for us to ensure that we raise our children to respect everyone and to issue a pertinent reminder that violence is never normal nor is it justified.
Whether it is by listening to women’s stories, encouraging safe spaces for meaningful dialogue, supporting people in the crime-reporting process, following up on an investigation, helping a survivor or talking to concerned families-this is a chance for men to proactively support women in their role as allies. It is a chance to stand up for human rights.
This is an issue that countries all over the world are tackling. Whether in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia or Nepal, the figures show that there is still a long way to go in ensuring safe workspaces and homes for women. The World Health Organisation estimates that one in three women will be beaten, coerced into sex or abused in her lifetime. At least 30 percent of these acts are by an intimate partner or relative.
Choosing to elect 14,000 female leaders into local governments is an encouraging addition to Nepali institutions that can play a key role to support women. But beyond ensuring representation, leaders should also be given a platform that encourages meaningful participation; the system should actively work on ensuring that elected women leaders are being heard. We must make sure that the voices of the women in our community add to the chorus of #metoo activism, which is encouraging women from around the world to share their stories.
In Nepal, the United Nations supports the rights of all Nepalis, regardless of gender, to live a life free from violence. It is further enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as one of the fundamental tenets of our work. Goal five of the Sustainable Development Goals, which Nepal has adopted, specifically denounces violence against women. Beyond goal five, ensuring the rights of women is a ubiquitous objective.
Through our programmes and in partnership with the Government of Nepal, the UN strives to support the achievement of this goal through various approaches including promotion of human rights, research into the underlying causes, activities aimed at prevention and response including support to victims groups and shelters, mediation groups, training for police and other relevant authorities and construction of more friendly and open facilities to support women.
The task at hand requires a joint effort from government, civil society organisations, the media, families, and individuals. Our heroes work in the local community, increasing education of boys and girls on promoting human rights and ending gender discrimination. Various community leaders—including police officers working in services centers and volunteers and non-governmental-organisation workers involved in mediation groups— are working everyday to help bring families and institutions together with police, justice actors, survivors, abusers, and communities to better address these problems.
As male heads of UN Agencies in Nepal, we must ensure that we lead by example, in our behaviour, the way we speak, act and treat our female and male colleagues in the office. We must challenge ourselves to always model an environment of mutual respect, equal treatment and opportunity for all. It is imperative, that we, together with all our colleagues across the UN, ensure our offices have the systems in place that guarantee zero tolerance of any forms of violence and harassment.
This ensures that anyone who faces such violations have access to a safe path for a resolution, and that perpetrators are held responsible. As UN agencies, we must not only help to set global standards but must live by them and hold our partners accountable to the same. Without this, we not only discredit our organizations, but reduce our ability to promote a society free of violence.
As difficult as it has been to listen to the stories of women who have lived through an attack, it has been heartening to hear that the intervention of others, in some cases good men, has often helped stop a cycle of abuse that would otherwise destroy lives.
There have been many acts of intervention—a neighbour who heard the cries and supported families, a doctor who helped report injuries, a stranger in public who stepped in to say the behavior or abuse was inexcusable. In many cases, these actions have saved the life of the women we spoke to, in others, it helped restore their faith in humanity.
Our collective efforts in these coming 16 days and the following months and years are focused on continuing the prevention of violence and abuse by identifying its underlying causes, strengthening institutions responsible to address the causes, and supporting the proper implementation of the laws. Above all, we commit to listening to women in our community, supporting them as they speak out and doing whatever we can to protect and promote their human rights.