Browse by Theme: Gender Based Violence

“Violence against women is accepted and some people even forget that it is a crime. It’s so common that it’s no longer considered as a serious matter.” These words from a woman activist in northern Ecuador, on the border with Colombia, are a stark reminder of what women are up against. So what can be done to protect women from the ever-present threat of gender-based violence?

In June, a huge array of governments, NGOs and activists will descend on London for a four day summit aimed at making sexual violence in conflict a war crime as reviled as using chemical weapons or laying landmines. CARE will be at the heart of the action. Here's a preview of what's coming up.

Today marks the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, which focuses for 2013 on the theme of militarism. The past year has seen the British Government and others make sexual violence as a weapon of war a political priority as never before – with a particular focus on seeking prosecutions to end impunity for such crimes.

According to the latest UN statistics, of the total population affected by Typhoon Haiyan, an estimated 47,600 women are at risk of sexual violence. In the evacuation centres, an estimated 2,250 women are also at risk.

We know that disasters impact men and women differently - but how can we get better at factoring this into account in international aid efforts?

As world leaders gathered yesterday in New York for the high-powered UN General Assembly, the governments of Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Senegal, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, the United States and over 100 other countries launched a new ‘Declaration of commitment to end sexual violence in conflict’. Why now and what does it mean?

In the last few months the world’s leaders have declared and resolved to end sexual violence against women in conflict. First we had the G8 declaration and then UN resolution 2106 but what difference will these really make to the women who are being raped in places like the DRC, Syria and South Sudan?

As the world gathers at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, a four-year CARE project addressing gender-based violence in East Africa has shown just what kind of real policy changes can be achieved using joined up advocacy and strong evidence.