International Women's Day - 8 March ! A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women.

A promise is a promise:

Time for action to end violence against women.

Worldwide today:

·        Up to 50% of sexual assaults are committed against girls under the age of 16.

·        Globally, 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not yet considered a crime.

·        Up to 70% of women in the world report having experienced physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lifetime.

·        Over 60 million girls worldwide are child brides, married before the age of 18…

In the face of such unacceptable figures, the international community is strongly committed to change the plight of women.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) requires that countries party to the Convention take all appropriate steps to end violence.

Time for Action

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day, “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women” seeks to strengthen international community’s commitment to put an end to violence against women. As part of the effort the UN leads to fight violence against women, Secretary-Generals Ban Ki-moon's UNiTE campaign calls on all governments, civil society, women’s organizations, men, young people, the private sector, the media and the entire UN system to join forces in addressing this global pandemic.

“ONE WOMAN”

From China to Costa Rica, from Mali to Malaysia acclaimed singers and musicians, women and men, have come together to spread a message of unity and solidarity: We are "One Woman", a song to be launched on 8 March 2013.

What can you do?

Join the conversation and follow @UN_Women and the hashtag #1woman on Twitter. You can also donate a tweet through our Thunderclap, which will be released on 8 March. 

http://www.un.org/en/events/womensday/