End the Violence!

Dear fellow citizen,

We strongly feel that violence against women should NOT be tolerated, yet it has been ignored and is not seen as the crime that it is. Violence takes on all forms of abuse, physical, verbal, sexual, and emotional. It has devastating effects the most horrendous being permanent disability or death of the victim. All victims and their families are left with permanent scars and sometimes the victim never recovers. No one is ever completely healed and they often have to struggle to live with the scars.
Without nation-wide co-ordinated strategies to end violence, especially against women, we believe things will only get worse. But it is not just about our governments; it is also ABOUT US, all of us as individuals. It is our duty to stop violence against women and end the impunity to this crime.

The alarming facts:

• 1 in 3 women and girls is beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime


• 4 million women and girls are trafficked annually


• The most common act of violence against women is being slapped


• Violence against women is a major public health problem and a violation of human rights


• Domestic Violence is the least shared and reported form of gender based discrimination, which victims are mainly women and children


• Many women do not seek help or report violence when it occurs


• This is the crime that has the lighter punishments in legislation of most countries and suffers much impunity among perpetrators

All persons have a right to exist without fear.

If you share the belief that violence against women is a crime:

• Act upon your conviction and stop violence against women in your day to day life


• Talk to your friends, family and community members to end violence against women


• Denounce domestic violence, rape and sexual harassment as an abuse and an outrage to women, girls, their family and the whole society


• Hold your government accountable for punishing violence against women and for stopping impunity