Enough! That’s what we say, today and every day, to all forms of violence against women and girls.

Enough to domestic violence. Enough to rape. Enough to harmful practices like female genital mutilation. And enough to impunity for one of the most flagrant and pervasive violations of human rights.

A statistic is not only a number – it tells a human story. It speaks of people’s health and well-being, problems and prospects, and socio-economic circumstances. When collected and analysed well, statistics can advance sustainable development, identifying those at risk of being left behind.

It is every girl’s right to speak and to be heard.

Today, on the International Day of the Girl, let’s commit to listening to and lifting up girls’ voices.

In the past 40 years, our world has transformed. Many developing countries in the Global South have emerged from poverty and built thriving economies and societies. They drive much of the global economic dynamism we have seen in recent times.

Saving lives has never been more harrowing.
Last year saw attacks against aid workers surpass all previous records, with hundreds of humanitarian workers assaulted, injured, kidnapped or killed.
This year, threats to health-care personnel are escalating amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only do health workers face exposure to the deadly coronavirus, but they are also enduring a rising tide of violence, with attacks driven by fear and misinformation.

Young people have been frontline responders to the COVID-19 pandemic, mobilizing across the world. They are health workers, activists, innovators, and social and community workers.

Every year, tens of thousands of people are trafficked across and within national borders. While men and boys tend to be trafficked into forced labour, women and girls tend to be trafficked into forced sex.

Peace in our world begins with peace in the home, as the United Nations Secretary-General stated in his call for a global ‘ceasefire’ on gender-based violence – a pandemic within the COVID pandemic. One woman in three experiences physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. Now, with countries on lockdown and household tensions heightened, gender-based violence is on the rise, and sexual and reproductive health services are being sidelined by health systems struggling to cope with COVID-19.

UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, notes with regret the determination by the United States of America to withhold funds from UNFPA for the fourth consecutive year.

Sexual violence in conflict is a threat to our collective security, a violation of international law and a blight on humanity’s conscience. As a weapon of war, it subjugates women and men and destabilizes entire societies.