As the world commemorates International Women’s Day on March 8, the World YWCA calls on governments, inter-governmental organisation, non-governmental organisation and community groups to ensure women and girls feel secure and are safe at home, school and work.

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Women make up 48% of all people living with HIV, and the proportion of women infected with HIV is increasing in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. In sub-Saharan Africa, the region most affected by HIV, 60% of all adults and three out of four young people living with the virus are female[i]. These figures demonstrate the great personal security threat women face.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights; it is time that women fully exercise their right to life, liberty and security of person. To ensure security for women and girls we must invest in changing social, cultural and economic factors that put women at risk. Investing in women and girls includes allocating flexible and adequate funds to women, providing appropriate services and ensuring they have equal opportunities.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) address issues that put women at risk of violence and insecurity. The World YWCA calls on governments to place MDGs 1 and 3 - that address poverty and inequality respectively - at the center of their development indicators. Recent studies show that investing in women and girls has a multiplier effect on productivity, efficiency and sustained economic growth. Once countries eliminate extreme poverty – the status of women is likely to increase and they are less at risk of violence and abuse.

Therefore, to ensure women and girls are safe the World YWCA recommends:

1. Reducing women’s vulnerability in the face of HIV and AIDS

• The YWCA Nairobi 2007 Call to Action on HIV and AIDS [ii] calls for the promotion of sexual and reproductive health and rights of all women and girls, including healthy and safe practices that minimise the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and expansion of female initiated HIV-prevention methods. World leaders must work towards promoting these rights.
• In a bid to increase the number of people who know their HIV status, health care providers are increasingly being encouraged to recommend HIV testing to clients attending their facilities. Women visiting prenatal clinics are especially vulnerable under this policy; yet pregnant women alone should not be aggressively targeted in HIV testing strategies. Women and men should be reached together to avoid women being singled out for testing without their partners. As governments, policy-makers and non-governmental organisations strive to link violence and reproductive health to HIV, they must not ignore the human rights of pregnant women, including their right to privacy and security.
• Socio-economic factors and legal challenges that put many HIV-positive women at risk of violence must be addressed. Many HIV-positive women are beaten up, thrown out of their homes and lose their possession when they share their HIV status with their families. Governments, international organisations and civil society must ensure that laws and policies that redress inequality and poverty are implemented in a bid to protect women from violence.

2. Ending violence against women

• The World YWCA welcomes the newly launched United Nations campaign to address Violence against women, ‘Unite: To end Violence against Women’. Governments must work towards closing gaps between international instruments that address women’s rights and national laws, policies and practices that put women at risk of violence.
• Organisations running programmes such as shelters for women in violent relationship, help-lines and counseling facilities must be adequately financed to ensure their services remain reliable and accessible.
• Programmes such as the YWCA Week Without Violence commemorated annually in November around the world help educate communities on the types of violence women in their country face. A society that understands the impact and effects of violence against women is better versed to address the issues at government and policy level. Education on violence against women must be integrated in programmes that reach different sectors of society including men and boys.

3. Involving women in conflict resolution and peace building

• The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security recognises the impact of armed conflict on women and girls and affirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflict and in peace-building. Governments must commit to no impunity for rape, sexual enslavement and other crimes specifically targeting women during conflict.
• Government institutions in fragile states are weak – they have limited revenue opportunities and multiple and complex demands for funding. The humanitarian response, peace building and peacekeeping all demand extensive financing - leaving women with less capacity and opportunities to access resources for their empowerment. The World YWCA therefore urges governments to allocate adequate resources through flexible and accessible financing mechanism for the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, on women, peace and security.

[i] UNAIDS. 2006. HIV Epidemiology update. Geneva. WHO

[ii] The YWCA Nairobi 2007 Call to Action on HIV and AIDS was launched at the International Women’s Summit on Women’s Leadership in HIV and AIDS hosted by the World YWCA in July 2007. The summit was the first international conference to focus on women’s leadership and AIDS.

Related Links:

• YWCA Nairobi 2007 Call to Action on HIV and AIDS