Caribbean joins global community in its fight for the elimination of violence against women

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – The Caribbean on Monday joined the international community in observing the annual 16 Days of Activism campaign against a sobering report that last year, 40 women and girls died every day at the hands of their partner or a close relative, which means one woman killed every 10 minutes.

Statistics from the Caribbean Women Hub show that on average 46 per cent of women in the Caribbean have experienced at least one form of gender-based violence in her lifetime. The report on the 25th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women by the UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) sheds light on the global crisis of femicide and calls for urgent action.

“The epidemic of violence against women and girls shames humanity,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in his address for the day. “The world must heed this call. We need urgent action for justice and accountability, and support for advocacy.” The report also coincides with the start of the annual 16 Days of Activism campaign, which runs from November 25 to December 10 and this year, the UNITE campaign is drawing attention to the alarming escalation of violence against women under the theme, “Every 10 minutes, a woman is killed, #NoExcuse,. UNITE to End Violence against Women”.