On December 17, people around the world read in horror about the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old student in New Delhi, India. When she boarded what she thought was a public bus on her way home from the movies with her boyfriend, she could not have imagined that she was putting herself at risk of torture and rape of the most sadistic kind. After fighting for her life for two weeks, she died from her injuries.
While sickened, I wish I could say that I was shocked. In its landmark 2005 international study on violence against women, the WHO found that in most countries, between 29 and 62 percent of women reported experiencing violence at some point in their lives. Rates vary from country to country, with Western Europe and North America reporting rates of around 25-30 percent. What puts women at such great risk?
As those of us who work in the humanitarian sector know, violence against women and girls spikes in disaster or conflict-affected settings. Being displaced, whether within your own country or as a refugee in another country, increases your risk of violence. This risk is still greater if you live with a disability. And everyday tasks necessary to feed your family or earn an income-, like walking outside of a camp to collect firewood or engaging in “off-the-books” domestic work–increase your risk as well. In many of the articles written about the young woman in India, we have heard that a rape is reported on average every 20 minutes. Yet we know sexual assault is vastly under-reported because of stigma, and the true incidence is far higher.
And so what are we doing about this?
Much of my advocacy work this autumn focused on issues related to violence against women (VAW) at the United Nations. I use the findings and recommendations my colleagues generate from their work on the ground talking to refugee women, men, boys and girls to inform my conversations and calls for action. During the opening of the General Assembly in September, the Nobel Women’s Initiative, of which the Women’s Refugee Commission is a member, held a high-level meeting with the Mission of the United Kingdom to the United Nations to highlight how sexual violence against women and girls has become endemic in conflict-affected regions. In October, the Security Council held its annual open debate on Women, Peace and Security and addressed the issue of violence against women and girls during and post-conflict (which we discussed in this blog). Also, the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee (which addresses social, humanitarian and cultural affairs) spent October and November negotiating its annual Violence Against Women Resolution, which seeks better prevention and response to VAW in all contexts. Like my counterparts at other humanitarian and women’s rights organizations, I spoke to countless UN representatives and diplomats urging them to use these opportunities to champion greater prevention, protection and response services for displaced women and girls.
But action at the UN alone won’t solve this crisis. There must also be action at the regional, national and local levels.
Over the past few weeks,, we have seen massive demonstrations and candle lit vigils across India, with men, women, boys and girls finally speaking out and supporting decades of work undertaken by India’s vibrant women’s rights organizations. The government has promised action, and while many are skeptical, a bright spot is surely the appointment of Indira Jaising, the additional Solicitor Advocate, to draft a bill with tougher penalties for sexual assault and more robust and comprehensive provision of services for survivors. Ms. Jaising is a long-time women’s rights lawyer and activist, and a recent member of CEDAW (the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women). With grassroots action, one of the international community’s biggest champions for women and girls will play a pivotal role in trying to turn a tragic event into a new day for the women and girls of India.