Gender-based violence (GBV)
- Gender-based violence, especially violence against women and girls (VAWG) not only hampers the development of half of the world’s population, but also prevents them from achieving their potential.
- Different forms of GBV include rape, domestic violence and partner violence.
- Harmful traditional practices often lead to honour crimes and daughter neglect.
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)
- The lack of access to SRHR remains a problem worldwide and is often perceived as contentious, hampering open and practical dialogue and action.
- Harmful traditional practices include female genital mutilation (FGM), and early and forced marriage.
- Women who wish to use contraception to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted infections are often confronted with messages of shame and guilt, generated by conservative cultural, social and/or religious perspectives.
Statistics
- An estimated 700 million women and girls alive today have been married before their 18th birthday without their valid consent to this marriage. 1
- An estimated 200 million women and girl’s alive today have suffered from the partial or total removal of their external female genitalia for non-medical reasons (FGM). 2
- And even today, 225 million women of the reproductive age have an unmet need of family planning. 3
What are we doing?
- We are urging governments to eliminate discriminative social norms and religious beliefs, customary law and institutional state laws that impede young women’s and girls’ access to their rights and control over their own lives.
- Progressio is strengthening women’s rights networks in Somaliland to advocate for ending violence against women.
