The United Nation calls it “The Pandemic Shadow” as the global community spotlights the nagging concern of violence against women on Wednesday, Nov. 25, through the celebration of the International Day for the Elimination of VAW. The observance kicks off the 16 Days (18 days in the Philippines) of Activism against Gender-based Violence.
Reiterating that violence against women and girls is an age-old problem, UN has noted that the figures have remarkably increased since the coronavirus crisis started. Cases, especially on domestic violence, intensified as countries imposed lockdowns to check the pandemic.
UN has underscored that violence against women and girls “is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world and remains largely unreported impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding it”.
Reports show that one of three women in the world experienced physical, sexual or psychological violence in their lifetime, most frequently by an intimate partner.
Consequently, adverse psychological, sexual and reproductive effects on women and girls haunt them in all stages of their life. These realities serve as compelling reasons for communities and societies to pursue the crusade against VAW.
With the Shadow Pandemic thriving amidst the COVID-19 crisis, a collective global response against all types of violence against women and children becomes even more imperative. The Nov. 25 observance is an apropos platform to generate wider consciousness of both crusades against VAW and the Silent Pandemic.
We laud the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental and the Provincial Council of women and its support groups for continuously highlighting the Nov. 25 agenda and the subsequent days in the interest of gender equality and development.
We trust that the public awareness generated by this advocacy will redound not only to an annual but, more so, a day-to-day and hour-to-hour consciousness against VAW and put an end to this Pandemic Shadow. – NWI
