#16 Days Essay Series
Every year, women’s rights activists across the globe participate in 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence from November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls, to December 10, Human Rights Day. This year, members of Every Woman’s Emerging Leaders Council (activists under 35) are publishing six essays from six continents on how a new Optional Protocol to CEDAW can increase global accountability — part of this year’s theme — on ending violence against women and girls.
On July 29, 2024, the brutal murders of three young girls in Southport sent shockwaves across the UK, adding to the grim toll of femicide. The attack should have focused on how a 17-year-old British man stabbed and killed 3 girls. Instead, fascist groups hijacked the situation to ignite false claims of immigrant violence, diverting attention from the core issue of gender-based violence, a daily reality for women and girls in the UK.
In the UK, a woman is killed by a man every three days — a staggering statistic that lays bare the prevalence of this issue. More than one million crimes against women and girls were recorded in England and Wales in a single year, a new national report by the Police Chiefs Council found. One in every six murders is a result of domestic abuse. “Violence against women and girls is endemic, systemic, and a threat to society on the same scale as terrorism,” said Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth in a statement on the Police Chiefs Council report a week before the Southport murders.
Despite this, society continues to place the burden of safety on women — urging us to dress appropriately, not go out alone at night, and urging us to constantly be on guard. Why does the prevention of violence towards women and girls fall on women instead of the perpetrators?
We can change this
It’s time for a shift in focus. The responsibility shouldn’t lie with women to protect themselves. Instead, we must take concrete steps to hold perpetrators accountable and confront the root causes of gender-based violence. This means tackling the toxic masculinity and patriarchal structures that fuel gender-based violence. We need to challenge the deeply ingrained attitudes that normalize violence against women and dismantle the systems that enable it.
The Mayor of London was on the right path when he launched the “Have a Word” campaign in 2022. The campaign encouraged men to call out their friends, acquaintances, and passersby who catcall, disturb, and create negative and hostile environments toward women and girls.
Campaigns like these are the first steps in breaking the systems in place. But they need to be broadened nationally and internationally. They also need to be ongoing, accompanied by conducting better training and accountability, and implementing strong violence prevention education in our schools so future generations do not live in a society where misogynistic actions are commonplace.
The UK has a strong legal framework aimed at equality and addressing violence. The Equality Act 2010 provides a specific framework for addressing violence against women. The 2022 ratification of the Istanbul Convention, a regional treaty on violence against women and girls holds immense potential for driving systemic change through legal reforms and cultural shifts. In their joint statement on the July Police Council Report, Commissioner Rowley and Deputy Chief Constable Blyth were resolute on implementing better training, violence prevention strategies, and prosecution of perpetrators.
But as Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, noted in her February 2024 report on the UK, the country needs to “do more to translate its political recognition of the scale of violence against women and girls into action.”
A new Optional Protocol to CEDAW dedicated to ending violence against women and girls can help influence the UK to do just that. History shows us that treaties work across nations and regions to influence global norms. We can take CEDAW General Recommendation 35 on violence against women, the best of the regional treaties, including Istanbul, and bring them all under one roof, one comprehensive document, that over time, can create stronger laws across nations, deconstruct attitudes and tackle the toxic masculine ideologies that perpetuate violence against women and girls.
The fight to end gender-based violence is a global issue and the UK has the opportunity to join the momentum and lead by example. It’s time for the country to take a stand and eliminate the shocking statistic of one million crimes against women and girls — a figure that represents too many. Together, we can work towards a future where women and girls live free from violence and fear.
SHAUNA SHANMUGAN is a UK national living in East Germany with a passion for community-driven change. With an MSc in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding, she works across two dynamic fields. Firstly in coordinating a community research project on rural transitions impacted by the European Green Deal, and secondly, leading events and initiatives that raise awareness of DAC (Development Assistance Committee) countries on the topics of Peace and Conflict, tailored for the local context of Halle (Saale).
A passionate activist, Shauna is a member of the Walk of Shame movement that re humanises the relation between residents of Europe and people on the move. She is also a member of the 8M QueerFeminist Bündnis which organises the 8thMarch demonstration and works to build collaborations with fellow activists across diverse issues, united by shared values. Recently Shauna has completed the Every Woman Treaty Fellowship from our July cohort and has joined our global efforts to advocate for women’s rights by fighting for a treaty to end violence against women and girls.
Join the call for a new OP-CEDAW to end violence against women and girls! everywoman.org/#join
SOURCES
Merseypolice, Report, “Three girls tragically killed in Southport,” 3 July 2024, https://www.merseyside.police.uk/news/merseyside/news/2024/july/three-girls-tragically-killed-in-southport-named/
OCHR, Press Release, “No time to lose as UK declares violence against women ‘a national threat’: UN expert”, 21 February 2024, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/no-time-lose-uk-declares-violence-against-women-national-threat-un-expert.\
Metropolitan police, “Tackling violence against women and girls will require the whole system to to step up,” 23 July 2024, https://news.met.police.uk/news/tackling-violence-against-women-and-girls-will-require-the-whole-system-to-step-up-486419
Mayor of London, video, “Have a Word,” YouTube, 2022, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yEnQ04CwHG_9eqcpMJ36VF_x_i0b2fn7/edit
College of Policing, National Police Chiefs’ Association, “Policing Violence Against Women and Girls: The National Framework for Delivery,” February 2024, https://www.npcc.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/our-work/vawg/vawg-framework-for-delivery.pdf
