This International Women’s Day, 8 March, join the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women in global solidarity under the theme “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”.
Climate change has a direct impact on violence against women and girls, as women and girls are first to be affected as seen in crisis contexts: mounting burden and risks of violence in the home; rising threats of violence in the public places; women in conflict areas and those who have been displaced experience higher rates of intimate partner violence[1]; first to lose jobs if facilities have limited working capacity and therefore are exposed to abuse and exploitation[2]; among them, indigenous women are at higher risk of violence due to climate change-induced crises.[3]
Civil society and women’s rights organizations have been operating in complex crises and their essential, lifeline work has become increasingly important as violence against women and girls spiked during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Crises such as natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies can pose significant challenges to and require the adaptation of violence against women prevention programming. The work of civil society and women’s rights organizations in responding not only to crises but also to the amplified preexisting violence against women risk factors must be recognized.
This International Women’s Day, join the UN Trust Fund in celebrating women and girls who are taking climate action at all levels and in continuing support to women’s rights organizations in amplifying voices of survivors and those at risk of violence against women and girls.
Women and girls are leading local civil society and women’s rights around the world to respond to emergencies and the rise of violence against women and girls in complex humanitarian crises. They are amplifying the voices of women and girls in the most marginalized and hardest-to-reach communities, adapting to ensure their rights are protected, and empowering community members to jointly prevent and end violence against women and girls.
Celebrate International Women’s Day with us online! Join us online in speaking up against violence against women and girls and celebrating women and girls who are leading the charge on climate change to build a sustainable tomorrow.
Follow us on Twitter @UNTrustFundEVAW, and join the conversation on social media using #IWD2022 and #CSW66.
