By Xinhua
United Nations : The UN Development Fund for Women (Unifem) has launched an Internet campaign in an effort to end violence against women.
The Unifem initiative, titled “Say NO to Violence against Women”, is aimed at gathering on-line signatures through a website so as to urge decision-makers to place ending violence against women high on the global agenda. The campaign will run until March 8, 2008, International Women’s Day.
“Violence against women is an appalling human rights violation,” said Unifem goodwill ambassador and well-known Australian actor Nicole Kidman Monday. “But it is not inevitable.”
“We can put a stop to this. The more names we collect, the stronger our case to make ending violence against women a top priority for governments everywhere. This is why I was the first to sign my name,” Kidman said at the launch of the campaign.
UN statistics indicate that as many as one in three women will experience violence in her lifetime.
Joanne Sandler, acting Unifem executive director, said the momentum to address violence against women is increasing, with at least 89 countries having had legislative provisions on domestic violence.
“But implementation of these laws is often insufficient due to a lack of political will, capacity and resources,” Sandler said.
“As long as violence is pervasive and women do not dare to accuse their abusers, the issue needs to be much more prominent in public debate.”
Founded in 1976 by the UN general assembly through a resolution, Unifem provides financial and technical assistance to programmes and strategies to foster women’s empowerment and gender equality.