Violence against women: where are we 25 years after ICPD and where do we need to go?

摘要

In 1994, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo noted that gender equality and equity, empowerment, and elimination of violence against women (VAW) were cornerstones of development.1 The Beijing Platform for Action followed, urging actions to prevent and eliminate VAW, including through legal reform, research and data collection.2 The gains made in putting VAW on the global development agenda in the 1990s were the result of strategic, intentional and thoughtful advocacy and work by many women’s organisations with support from some governments. The last 25 years have seen progress in addressing VAW in three ways: the recognition that, as well as a social, development and human rights issue, VAW is an urgent public health problem; the availability of both prevalence data and increased evidence on what works to prevent and respond to VAW; and more governments putting in place laws and policies and implementing programmes to address VAW.