Violence against women

In 1993, the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women defined “violence against women” as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life” (UNGA, 1993, Article 1). Violence against women is based on deeply-rooted social norms and practices that devalue women and their potential for advancement in the world of work. There is extensive international evidence showing that violence against women can only be effectively tackled through a gender equality framework that addresses gender, social and cultural norms, as well as unequal and stereotypical gender roles and relations (Ellsberg et al, 2014; Fulu et al, 2014; Arango et al, 2014).