Violence against women and girls remains one of the world’s most persistent human rights violations despite decades of global commitments, the world is nowhere near ending it.
That warning set the tone at the SHE & Rights ( Health with Equity & Rights) session held during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Speakers marked both International Human Rights Day (10 December) and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day (12 December) with a stark assessment: progress has stalled, political will is weak, and the scale of violence is rising, not falling.
“Violence against women and girls is rooted in gender inequality and undermines sustainable development. Despite all the efforts over decades, the painful truth is that we are far from ending all forms of violence against women and girls,” said Dr Pam Rajput, plenary keynote speaker at the event.
“Over 840 million women have faced violence globally. The number of women who face violence in conflict settings has doubled. In the past 12 months, 316 million women experienced physical or sexual abuse by an intimate partner, and 263 million were abused by others. More than 51,000 femicides have been reported,” added Dr Rajput, a noted feminist and gender justice advocate and Emeritus Professor at Panjab University.
She previously chaired the Government of India’s High-Level Committee on the Status of Women. “Even women parliamentarians are not spared: 82% reported psychosocial violence. Among women journalists, 73% have faced online violence and 20% have been attacked offline by anti-gender groups.”
She stressed the need to address structural inequalities, patriarchal norms, the normalisation of gender-based violence, gender-insensitive enforcement systems, and chronic under-investment in gender equality. “We demand zero tolerance for violence against women — both in policy and practice.”
“No change in 26 years”
“There has been no meaningful change in violence against women and girls since 2000. Over the last 26 years, the annual decline in intimate partner and sexual violence is an abysmally low 0.2%. This is unacceptable,” said Shobha Shukla, SHE & Rights Coordinator and Host, and President of the Asia Pacific Media Alliance for Health, Gender and Development Justice (APCAT Media).
She noted that while 165 out of 193 countries have domestic violence laws, only 104 have comprehensive frameworks. “Almost 48% of countries lack the laws needed to address domestic violence. Even where laws exist, funding is inadequate — and has declined since 2022. When we read that one in three women worldwide has experienced violence at least once in her lifetime, it is a gross understatement. Actual rates must be higher — which is alarming, painful and unacceptable.”
Gender-based violence and HIV
“Gender-based violence not only violates the rights of women and girls but also increases their risk of acquiring HIV and other infections. Gender-based violence and HIV create a cycle of stigma and discrimination,” said Esther Asuquo, gender and peace advocate at the African Girls Empowerment Network (AGE Network), Nigeria.
Women and girls facing violence, she said, are at greater risk of forced sex, rape, physical trauma and limited ability to negotiate safer sex.
“The largest African conference on HIV and sexually transmitted infections, ICASA 2025, has just concluded in Ghana. Ending gender-based violence is essential if we are to end AIDS and achieve gender equality by 2030,” said Albertina Nyatsi, Founder and Director of Positive Women Together in Action, Eswatini, who led CNS at the conference. “HIV stigma fuels gender-based violence — and gender-based violence fuels HIV. Breaking this cycle requires integrating services, empowering women, challenging harmful norms and supporting safer sex negotiation.”
Ending female genital mutilation or cutting by 2030
“All governments committed to achieving the SDGs by 2030 — and ending female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) is one of the targets under SDG 5. But UNICEF’s 2024 report shows that more than 230 million girls and women worldwide have undergone FGM/C,” said Dr Huda Syyed, Founder of the Sahara Sisters’ Collective and a member of the Asian Network to End FGM/C.
“More than 80 million girls and women in Asia underwent FGM/C in 2024 alone. That is a 15% increase compared to eight years ago,” she said. “We cannot achieve the SDGs when half the population is harmed, silenced or excluded. Development justice demands that women’s safety, agency and bodily integrity be central.”
FGM/C, she noted, violates multiple human rights and remains unethical even when performed in clinical settings. “Ending FGM/C is central to bodily autonomy, public health, gender justice and the rights of women and girls. The patriarchal notions that shape women’s bodies into shame and secrecy must be dismantled.”
The All-In global initiative
“The All-In Initiative was launched recently to drive leadership, accountability and support evidence-based solutions to end gender-based violence,” said Alanna France, an MSc student in Women’s Health at University College London.
“Gender-based violence is not inevitable; it is preventable. We know what works. When the UK funded interventions in 15 low- and middle-income countries, reductions of up to 50% were seen within two to three years,” she said. “The global cost of violence against women is estimated at US$1.5 trillion a year, though the true figure is likely higher.”
ESSENCE report launch
A new publication, “ESSENCE: Insights and Impact from 25 Years of HIV & AIDS Initiatives of Humana People to People India (2001–2025),” was launched during the event.
Lisbeth Aarup, Head of Project Development at Humana People to People India, said the organisation has spent 25 years reducing HIV-related stigma and discrimination, including addressing violence and mental health.
Dr Sugata Mukhopadhyay, a public health expert, said Humana consistently tackles structural barriers such as stigma, discrimination, gender inequity and social exclusion. Ramphool Sharma highlighted the daily violence faced by sex workers, compounded by criminalisation and lack of access to justice.
Unhoused and migrant women, added Ravinder Kumar, face compounded vulnerabilities including violence, HIV and TB. “Their biggest enemy is not poverty; it is violence — and the intersectional stigma that follows,” he said. Stigma related to TB and HIV is an additional form of violence.
Ending period poverty and stigma
“Ending period poverty and stigma is essential if adolescent girls and young women are to live dignified, empowered lives,” said Angel Babirye, Emerging Women Deliver Leader from Uganda and President of AfriYAN ESA and is part of the Teenage Pregnancy Think Tank at the Ministry of Health, Government of Uganda.
Period poverty and stigma are affecting so many girls across Africa. Many girls lack safe menstrual materials and resort to unsafe alternatives such as soil or sand, increasing the risk of infections. Some resort to transactional sex, heightening vulnerability to sexual violence, HIV, STIs and teenage pregnancy.
“In Uganda, one in four girls drops out of school once they begin menstruating. Absenteeism triples during their periods,” she said. “We must address menstrual hygiene, period poverty and stigma comprehensively.”
She added that menstruation remains shrouded in myths. Girls need safe spaces, clean water, sanitation and proper facilities for menstrual management. We must normalise conversations around menstruation because it is normal. Girls need to have safe spaces to speak up about menstruation, and also need to have access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene too. Girls and women must have safe and private facilities to change absorbent materials as and when required as well as spaces to dispose the used absorbent materials,” added Angel Babirye.
The way forward
The SHE & Rights session was co-hosted by the Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI), Women Deliver 2026, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR), the Asia Pacific Media Alliance for Health, Gender and Development Justice (APCAT Media) and CNS.
