A woman or girl is killed every 11 minutes by an intimate partner or family member, UN chief Antonio Guterres said ahead of the International Day for the ‘Elimination of Violence against Women’ which falls on November 25.
Guterres called it the world’s most widespread “human rights violation.”
Guterres’s comments come as India is embroiled in a series of murders committed by men against their partners.
The recent Shraddha Walkar murder case shocked India with its brutal details.
The UN chief called on everyone to “resign violence against women and girls to the history books,” saying now is the time to take transformative action to end violence against women and the girls.
This year’s theme is ‘UNITE: Activism to End Violence Against Women and Girls’.
Guterres said it means supporting activists around the world calling for change and supporting survivors of violence.
She also called on governments to increase funding by 50% to women’s rights organizations and movements by 2026.
Guterres urged everyone to take a “stand and raise our voices in support of women’s rights” and proudly declare that “we are all feminists.”
He called to support public campaigns that challenge patriarchal norms and promote different forms of masculinities that reject misogyny and violence.