UN Women and its partners call for long-term, sustainable investments to prevent violence against women and girls.

Anna Maswikeni coordinates the mental health support services at the Young Women for Life Movement (YWfL) working with young women between the ages of 14 – 25 from South African townships and rural communities. The YWfL movement, established by the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) Justice and Peace Commission and supported by UN Women South Africa Multi-Country office, was founded in 2019 to help young women tackle challenges such as GBV, HIV/AIDS, and socio-economic hardships. The program is supported by the United Budget, Results and Accountability Framework and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office of the United Kingdom.

In the village of Kuakua, Kongo Central, the production of cassava flour goes far beyond an economic activity; from allowing them to send their children to school, to helping them escape rape and sexual exploitation, what may seem like a mere ingredient is the base for these women’s empowerment. Last year, in November 2022, UN Women visited the village of Kuakua, in Kongo Central, to better understand the work that Agrikcom, a beneficiary of the Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) programme, was doing in the territory. Now, in June 2023, the team had the chance to talk with these women again, follow the production process of their cassava flour, and learn how their lives have changed thanks to economic and social empowerment.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is an ongoing crisis in Kenya, yet the vast majority of the country’s shelters are run by human rights defenders (HRDs) and civil society organisations. As HRDs dedicate their time to supporting survivors, they are also calling for major investments to establish more shelters – a call that that is beginning to be answered.

A baseline survey conducted by UN Women Rwanda on unpaid care work status among women and men within 8 districts of Rwanda, revealed that a rural woman spent seven hours per day doing unpaid care work, while the urban woman spent six hours and nine minutes as opposed to the man who only spent two hours per day.

Carine Kaku is an activist committed to the defense of human rights, particularly those of women and girls, and a partner of UN Women DRC. She is the director of DYNAFEC RDC, the National Dynamics of Women Candidates, a non-profit women's organization created to encourage women's political participation and fight for the promotion and protection of women's rights and the consolidation of peace. Carine joined UN Women DRC to talk about the importance of the 16 Days of Activism, ending SGBV and the role women's political participation plays in it.

Between the ages of seven and nine years old, Anne was raped countless times by a cousin, a tenant in her compound and by a female family friend. Ten years later, a close friend removed her sanitary pad and raped her again. From that moment on, Anne decided to speak out and empower women and girls through her organization Hope for a Better Tomorrow. Through the campaign #RapeMyFightOurFight she calls for a collective response to the rape culture in Africa.

A nationwide rollout of training on sexual and gender-based violence has recently concluded across Kenya to better equip law enforcement officials prevent and mitigate sexual violence during the country’s 2022 General Election.

Legal and psychosocial aid provided in Kenya's Kakuma Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement is helping survivors of sexual and gender-based violence obtain justice.

UN Women supports implementing partners TPO Uganda and Refugee Law Project, to support women and girls who were forced to flee conflict. At Bidi Bidi settlement women benefiting from Refugee Law Project’s “English for Adults” shared their inspirational stories; their success was made possible by psychosocial support offered by TPO Uganda. These interventions are made possible by the generous support of the Embassy of Sweden in Uganda, the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the EU-UN Global Spotlight Initiative.

Commissioner Dominic Kisavi has been serving Kenya’s National Police Service (NPS) for over thirty years. Based at police headquarters in the Operations Directorate, Mr. Kisavi was appointed by the Inspector General to head the Elections Security Secretariat. He discusses the challenges for peaceful elections and the service’s reform.

UN Women and UNFPA regional offices in East and Southern Africa are collaborating toward growing a movement for positive masculinity and meaningful engagement of men and boys in advancing gender equality and women’s rights.

Nairobi, 10 December 2021  – representatives from national governments, regional bodies, international development agencies, and civil society organizations today convened at a high-level forum on the use of gender data and statistics to address violence against women in East and Southern Africa (ESA).

At least 1 in 3 women have experienced violence, globally. At least one in three young women in Africa are married before they turn 18. About 200 million girls and women have been subjected to female genital mutilation. Gender-based violence is the most pervasive violation of human rights, but it can and must be prevented.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management (MHADM), UN Women and other Ministry partners conducted a one-day validation workshop for the gender analysis of the impact of conflict in South Sudan for an upcoming report. The data from the report will benefit the humanitarian sector and communities it supports.

Addressing harmful social norms, behavioural change interventions, continuous data and evidence generation, innovative partnerships, knowledge management and advocacy, as well as, multi-stakeholder and multisectoral approaches have been identified as some of the practical interventions to end all forms of violence against women and girls.

The Spotlight Initiative regional programme in Africa provides a regional response to addressing sexual gender-based violence, harmful practices and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Most women in rural communities still lack ownership over their bodies and the power to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health needs, partly due to their limited access to essential reproductive health services.

Alegnta was an integral part of the efforts of our organization, Setaweet in combating gender-based violence. The project aims to address a gap in providing services to survivors of sexual assault and abuse who approach the center in increasing numbers.

Thirteen-year-old Lydia Mwela from Zambia has observed too many girls in her community becoming pregnant, suffering gender-based violence and testing positive for HIV. She does not wish to end up in a similar situation herself. Through knowledge she is gaining at school, she has become empowered to make her own informed choices and create the future she dreams of for herself. She is learning about healthy relationships, good values, the human rights she is entitled to, and sexual and...