OSCE marks 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence – calls on States to step up efforts to end violence against women and girls

VIENNA / WARSAW, 24 November 2017 – Ahead of tomorrow’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and  the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, senior OSCE leaders today called on participating States to increase efforts to end this human rights violation. 

Violence against women and girls continues to take place across the OSCE region, in public and private spheres, affecting families, communities, work places and societies. Neither societies nor governments should remain silent while every day thousands of women and girls are suffering.

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Austria’s Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said: “On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the following 16 Days of Activism, I want to stress the crucial importance of international commitments and standards. The Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention is a strong and vital instrument, a landmark framework in combating violence against women and domestic violence. I therefore call on all OSCE participating States to adopt standards such as these and to implement adequate measures across our region in order to prevent sexual, gender-based and domestic violence against women and girls.”

“We have an obligation to speak up and act to end violence against women and girls, not only during these 16 days, but every day of the year,” said OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger. “The OSCE takes part in the global campaign to combat gender-based violence not only because it affects half of the world’s population, but because ensuring women and girls are safe in their homes, communities and public spaces helps to build cohesive and secure societies.”

“Empowering women to know and demand their rights is essential to tackling violence perpetrated against them, whether it is of physical, psychological, economic or political nature,” said ODIHR Director Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir. “The more women speak out, as we have seen most recently, for example, in the #MeToo campaign, the greater their power and ability to use legal and other means available to confront the perpetrators.” She also emphasized that “violence against women is most often based on the power, privilege and entitlement of perpetrators. To counter this, it is also important that men and boys participate in this conversation, including with each other, and become part of the solution.”

For more information on OSCE’s campaign during 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence see our campaign page and follow us on social media.