World leaders call for greater investment to end violence against women and girls

UNITED NATIONS, New York - On the second Action Day of the Summit of the Future, Spotlight Initiative hosted a high-level side event that brought together leaders and partners from around the world.

‘Accelerating Spotlight Initiative's High-Impact Effort to End Violence Against Women and Girls’ aimed to secure commitments that ensure the wider ending violence against women and girls agenda is adequately resourced to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Speakers included UN Deputy Secretary-General H.E. Amina J. Mohammed, Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, European Commission Vice-President H. E. Dubravka Šuica, UN Global Advocate and actress Ms. Cecilia Suárez, UN Women Regional Ambassador for Africa Ms. Jaha Dukureh, astronaut and activist Ms. Amanda Nguyen, Olympic athlete and activist Ms. Emma Oudiou and a panel discussion moderated by WAYE Talks Founder Sinead Bovell.

In her opening remarks, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed praised Spotlight Initiative’s impressive results in preventing 21 million women and girls from experiencing violence, but said that stronger political leadership and greater investments were needed to meet the scale and severity of the problem globally.

“Today I ask for your support in funding our $1 billion investment goal,” said Ms. Mohammed. “This will support the expansion of Spotlight Initiative’s comprehensive model to reach 60 countries by 2030, preventing violence for more than 70 million women and girls.” She also thanked the European Union, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United States for their contributions.

Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of the Belgians spoke in her capacity as an SDG Advocate. She said that an intersectional, inclusive approach to violence against women and girls was needed. "It is a matter of fundamental respect for women, women's rights and dignity. We need to work together so every woman and every girl lives free from violence.”

She was followed by representatives of Aruba, Kingdom of the Netherlands; the European Union; Ecuador; Sierra Leone; the World Bank and the African Union.

"Violence against women and girls is one of the most flagrant violations of gender equality," said Prime Minister of Aruba, Kingdom of the Netherlands, H.E. Ms. Evelyna Wever-Croes. She reiterated the commitment of Aruba and the Netherlands to ending violence against women and girls.

European Commission Vice-President H. E. Dubravka Šuica said that Spotlight Initiative is more effective than traditional programmes and that there is an urgency to step up support given growing global pushback to women's rights. "I encourage and call on others to join us to eradicate violence against women and girls once and for all... Together we can achieve a world where every woman and girl is respected and has a future."

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, Ecuador, H.E. Ms. Gabriela Sommerfeld said that Ecuador was committed to expanding "the medical and psychological care, legal accompaniment and shelter services currently provided [the women and girls] and will include digital literacy and capacity-building to promote the economic independence of women victims of violence." She added that Ecuador was one of the few countries already implementing the second phase of the Initiative. 

Minister of Gender and Children's Affairs, Sierra Leone, H.E. Ms. Isata Mahoi said that Sierra Leone was committed to learning from countries that had already implemented Spotlight Initiative as they roll out their country programme. "We want to use this opportunity to ensure we reduce all forms of violence against women and girls," she said, including female genital mutilation and child marriage. "Let's remember that girls are our future."

World Bank Managing Director, H.E. Ms. Anna Bjerde said that violence against women and girls is a matter of public health, human rights and development, and announced that the World Bank was partnering with the UN and the European Union to deepen action to end gender-based violence. "There's so much more we can and must do... The World Bank will make gender equality and ending violence against women and girls a top priority." 

She was followed by a representative from Spotlight Initiative’s Global Civil Society Reference Group, Mr. Marcus Kissoon. Mr. Kissoon spoke on behalf of the Group, stating, "The efforts of the Spotlight Initiative are critical because they drive necessary ideological shifts, not only through policy but by fostering a cultural re-examination of masculinity especially by boys and men. They challenge the toxic notions of power and dominance that entrap men and perpetuate violence."

UN Global Advocate for Spotlight Initiative, actress Ms. Cecilia Suárez addressed the audience in her native Spanish and dedicated her speech to Dominique Pelicot. She focused on the need to regulate technology and the internet to prevent online-facilitated forms of violence, especially in schools. "Without this regulation, the lack of control dictated by the screens turns the educational space into a dangerous and hostile place, particularly for girls and young women, moving away from its historical vocation as a place for teaching, learning, safe, healthy and respectful coexistence to develop broad and critical thinking," she said.

Ms. Suárez participated in a panel discussion moderated by WAYE Talks Founder Ms. Sinead Bovell alongside UN Women Regional Ambassador for Africa Ms. Jaha Dukureh, activist and astronaut Ms. Amanda Nguyen and Olympic athlete and activist Ms. Emma Oudiou. ‘A digital future without violence against women and girls’ focused on both the potential and challenges of technology in the push to eliminate gender-based violence.

Activist and astronaut Ms. Amanda Nguyen talked about the role of the internet in gaining justice as a rape survivor. "I found out that the government could destroy rape kit evidence without ever testing it. I took that to the internet and people rallied around that". However, she also said that she faced censorship in sharing her story on social media and experienced large numbers of online trolls.

Olympic athlete and activist Ms. Emma Oudiou highlighted the role of online spaces in shielding abusers from accountability. "People say things that they would never dare to say in front of you... The weakest feel free and feel stronger than they would in real life. Sometimes this vitriol becomes real [in the physical world]."

UN Women Regional Ambassador for Africa Ms. Jaha Dukureh spoke to the need to change how people perceive and include survivors. "Every time I succeed in my society, it feels like the attacks get more [intense]," said Ms. Dukureh. "We are not less deserving, we should not have to choose between thriving and surviving... We all have a responsibility to change how we do things." 

Executive Director of UN Women, H.E. Ms. Sima Bahous delivered closing remarks on behalf of the 11 UN agencies implementing Spotlight Initiative. "Spotlight Initiative has been a gamechanger for UN Women and the United Nations at large," she said. Ms. Bahous said that Spotlight Initiative contributes to the goals laid out in the Pact for the Future, including enhancing the safety of women and girls and their full participation in society, building multilateralism, accelerating progress towards the SDGs and leaving no one behind. "As the world faces crises and pushback, we call for an urgent and renewed investment in Spotlight Initiative 2.0. We must push forward with unwavering resolve to make a life free from violence a reality for all.