Opinion

Brutal reality of today’s world is that a woman is killed every 10 minutes

Rite & Reason: Funding for gender-based violence remains critically low, accounting for just 0.69 per cent of total humanitarian aid

Displaced women at a presentation about gender-based violence hosted by an international NGO in Bentiu, South Sudan. Photograph: Jim Huylebroek/New York Times
Displaced women at a presentation about gender-based violence hosted by an international NGO in Bentiu, South Sudan. Photograph: Jim Huylebroek/New York Times
Mary Van Lieshout
Sun Jan 12 2025 - 00:30

Gender-based violence (GBV) breaches fundamental human rights at a very basic level and is a significant barrier to achieving equality. Women, girls, and people with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities are most at risk. The statistics are staggering.

Every 10 minutes, a woman is killed simply because she is a woman. That’s the brutal reality of the world in which we live.

The UN has identified violence against women as one of the most severe human rights violations globally. In humanitarian crises, the problem worsens — 70 per cent of women in crisis settings experience GBV, compared to 35 per cent worldwide.

Sexual violence is used systematically as a weapon in conflicts all over the world, devastating men, women, children, and LGBTQI+ communities

The evidence is all around us, reflected in the heartbreaking reports of violence against women, nationally and internationally, unfolding across our screens daily.

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Sexual violence is used systematically as a weapon in conflicts all over the world, devastating men, women, children, and LGBTQI+ communities. The impact is compounded by the destruction of critical GBV services and the loss of skilled staff during conflicts.

In Sudan, the need for GBV-related services has skyrocketed — increasing by 100 per cent to 6.7 million people as of December 2023. Internally displaced women and girls face the highest risk, enduring conflict-related sexual violence, sexual exploitation, and abuse.

The Irish Consortium on Gender-Based Violence (ICGBV) was established in 2005 in response to extreme levels of sexual violence faced by women and girls in Darfur, Sudan. An alliance of 14 international human rights, humanitarian and development organisations, including NGOs, Irish Aid and the Irish Defence Forces, it was set up in response to reports of this ongoing and systematic sexual violence against women and girls in Darfur. Since it was established nearly 20 years there has been progress in shifting GBV policies and practices to recognise survivors as the architects of their recovery.

The ICGBV’s recent report, From Survivor-Centred to Survivor-Led: Lessons from Promising Survivor-Led Gender-Based Violence Accountability Initiatives, highlights valuable lessons from survivor-led efforts in GBV prevention, mitigation, and response. As ICGBV patron and President Michael D Higgins put it: “This report gives voice to those who have too often been silenced, voices that can make a difference, voices of those who have not only survived violence but have found the strength to lead in the pursuit of justice and healing.”

Empowering survivors at every stage is critical, especially considering the profound loss of agency they experience during acts of violence

Survivor-led accountability requires that survivors’ dignity is upheld and that they have the resources and skills to lead the process of justice and recovery — if they choose to do so.

Empowering survivors at every stage is critical, especially considering the profound loss of agency they experience during acts of violence. Research suggests that even well-intentioned survivor-centred approaches can unintentionally decentre survivors, reinforcing paternalistic systems within humanitarian protection. True survivor-led approaches shift power dynamics, recognising survivors as the best decision-makers and experts, based on their own lived experiences. Higgins also noted the “transition from survivor-centred approaches to survivor-led action seeks a profound shift in policy and practice — one that places survivors’ agency at the heart of justice efforts. It is a powerful, enduring call for justice, dignity and action, highlighting that those who have endured the deepest wounds must be central to building solutions, shaping policies, and ensuring accountability.”

ICGBV research emphasises the shift from “survivor-centred” to “survivor-led” accountability. Empowered survivors advocate for themselves and others, creating a ripple effect that strengthens community resilience and advocacy efforts, influences policy, and ultimately leads to long-term, sustainable, and systemic change. Survivor-led approaches also strengthen accountability mechanisms, making services more responsive to survivors’ needs and driving better outcomes, including increased funding opportunities.

However, supporting survivor-led approaches requires dedicated resources to run their initiatives, including fair compensation for their expertise and time. Advocacy for systemic change is resource-intensive and often takes years. Despite the significant economic cost of GBV — more than double the expenditure on education in many countries — and its long-term impact on future generations, funding to tackle gender-based violence remains low, accounting for just 0.69 per cent of total humanitarian aid and less than 1 per cent of official development assistance.

It is therefore timely that we mitigate against the current challenges that affect its implementation and the achievement of gender equality more broadly

Flexible, unrestricted, multiyear funding is crucial to support the comprehensive work needed to change the norms, attitudes, and behaviours that drive GBV. It is also essential that priority is given to fair and equal involvement with survivor-led gender-based violence accountability initiatives that are in line with their responsibilities. We are approaching the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and platform for action, considered one of the most progressive blueprints for advancing women’s rights globally.

Many believe it would not be possible in today’s environment. It is therefore timely that we mitigate against the current challenges that affect its implementation and the achievement of gender equality more broadly. Eliminating violence against women is paramount to this agenda and the only right path to achieve it is by following the courageous lead of survivors.

Mary Van Lieshout is deputy chief executive and director, external relations, Goal and co-chairwoman of ICGBV.