Abstract
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) has become recognised as a crucial element within of international development research and policy domains. Although the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women dates back to 1993, the widespread recognition of the phenomenon has been more recent. Although Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on achieving gender equality and empowerment for all women explicitly includes the elimination of violence against women and girls and of all harmful practices, it was largely neglected in the Millennium Development Goals. Yet in the last two decades and as a result of lobbying by the women's movement at local, national and international levels, VAWG is now firmly acknowledged as a major human and women's rights violation, a public health concern, an international peace and security issue and an impediment to development interventions. Yet the incidence of VAWG remains extremely high globally with approximately 35 per cent of women having experienced physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lives (WHO, 2013). This varies according to a wide range of intersectional factors such as race, ethnicity, class, gender identity, sexuality, immigration status, disability and so on (Imkaan, 2019). The incidence is also likely to be higher given widespread under-reporting and stigma not to mention the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic which has led to exponential increases in incidence as women have been confined to their domestic spaces (UN Women, 2020).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Companion to Development Studies |
| Publisher | Taylor and Francis AS |
| Pages | 409-413 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780429282348 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780367244231 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 28 May 2024 |
