The European Union and UN Women on Thursday, partnered to support feminist organizations to end violence against women and girls in Africa.
The UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong made this known during regional consultations with women’s rights organizations ahead of the annual UN 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence in Abuja.
She said the initiative focused on strengthening global and regional advocacy, coalition building and transformative feminist action to end violence against women.
According to her, the three-year initiative will contribute to leveraging regional movements and networks and creating mass action and support.
Eyong said “it is a real implementation of the theme of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign—”UNITE, Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls.”
She explained that research has shown that the presence of a strong and autonomous feminist movement is critical to driving change, ending violence against women and girls in policymaking and transforming social norms and power relations.
She said, “We all need to work together as a region with solidarity, networks, and multilateral actions.
“In the intergovernmental space, that means engaging with member states to urgently bring about legislative changes. It means funding long-term legal advocacy for these rights.
“And it means fully supporting women and girls’ networks and movements, including financially.
“At the local level, we must work to change the social norms that drive backlash against women’s rights. We are guided in all of this work by the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 5.
“It is also critical to continue forging multilateral and intergenerational partnerships, supporting the participation of young people.”
UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong
Eyong further explained that UN Women saw the impact of these at the Generation Equality Forum, which launched an Action Coalition on ending violence against women.
She said, “Our task now is to ensure that commitments made toward a world free of gender-based violence are accompanied by investments and actions.”
The focal person for youth, gender and human rights in the delegation of the EU to Nigeria, Mrs. Esme Stuart, said investing in women’s organizations was necessary to end violence against women and girls.
She said that through the global Spotlight Initiative programme, the EU and UN had been working with civil society organizations across the continent and the partnership had shown that violence against women and girls was preventable.
“Evidence shows as well that women’s organizations are the most effective actors to ensure progress and sustainable change in women’s rights and gender equality.
“Women organizations play central roles in advancing the implementation of global normative frameworks and contribute to societal development while reaching the poorest, most vulnerable, and most marginalized women and girls.
“Strategic and joint actions are considered powerful mechanisms for transformative change.
“Supporting and investing in strong and autonomous feminist organizations and movements are, therefore, key strategies to achieving transformational change in policy at global, regional and national levels.
She said 45 participants from 12 countries in Central, Eastern, and West Africa, comprising 37 rights organizations, attended the regional consultation.
