UNICEF calls for stronger commitments from international governments to improve life-saving services for women and girls affected by violence
Please contact Alexandra Murdoch for interviews: 020 7375 6179/ 07741625931, [email protected]
23 May 2019- As the Ending Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Humanitarian Crises conference in Oslo gets underway, UNICEF is calling for stronger political commitments from international governments to protect and improve life-saving services for those women and girls affected by violence worldwide.
Statement from Margaret Banjo, UNICEF UK Child Protection Specialist:
“It is shocking that at least in 1 in 3 women and girls – over a billion worldwide – will experience violence in their lifetime. Children are especially vulnerable to sexual violence in conflict and this has devastating consequences on the children, their families and the communities which they are part of.
In South Sudan, a staggering 65% of women and girls have experienced physical and/or sexual violence. The stigma of being raped can hold a double burden as both mother and baby find they are not accepted back into their communities.
In 2018, UNICEF reached 1.3 million women, girls and boys with gender based violence prevention, response and risk mitigation services in an emergency context, however, this work remains severely underfunded, at less than 1 percent of global humanitarian funding.
At the Oslo conference, UNICEF will be calling on governments and NGOs to strengthen their political commitment towards GBV prevention measures and increase funding to ensure that we can improve access to life-saving services for those women and girls who have been affected by violence.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
For more information, please contact:
Alexandra Murdoch, 020 7375 6179/07741625931, [email protected]
Unicef UK Media Team, 0207 375 6030, [email protected]
About Unicef
Unicef is the world’s leading organisation for children, promoting the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
Unicef UK raises funds to protect children in danger, transform their lives and build a safer world for tomorrow’s children. As a registered charity we raise funds through donations from individuals, organisations and companies and we lobby and campaign to keep children safe. Unicef UK also runs programmes in schools, hospitals and with local authorities in the UK.
For more information please visit unicef.org.uk