Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is leading a United Nations call on world leaders to “make good” on pledges they have made to end violence against women, a scourge that affects millions of women and girls worldwide.
“Up to 70 per cent of women experience physical or sexual violence at some point in their lifetime (and) as many as a quarter of all pregnant women are affected,” Mr. Ban said in message to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
“Millions of women and girls around the world are assaulted, beaten, raped, mutilated or even murdered in what constitutes appalling violations of their human rights,” he added.
The UN General Assembly designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in a 1999 resolution inviting governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to “organize activities designed to raise public awareness of the problem on that day.”
See full Press Release: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=43595&Cr=women&Cr1=violence#.ULNJsWewXro
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