Global community pledges $363m to combat sexual violence

OSLO: The international community on Friday pledged $363 million (324 million euros) to combat sexual and gender-based violence in humanitarian crises, a worldwide scourge affecting millions.

At the close of a conference on the subject in the Norwegian capital, 21 donor countries vowed to make their contributions in 2019, 2020 “and beyond”, the UN said. Some $660 million are needed this year to fund programmes combating sexual violence, according to UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock.

“Sexual and gender-based violence destroys people, it destroys local communities and it is extremely difficult to mend the damage,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide said. “That´s why we have to do more to prevent it,” she said. The wealthy Scandinavian country itself pledged one billion kroner (102.5 million euros, $115 million) between 2019 and 2021. “Violence against women and young girls is finally recognised not only as a serious violation of a woman´s rights but also as a public health epidemic, and as an obstacle to resolving global challenges such as extreme poverty, HIV-AIDS and conflict management,” Congolese doctor and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege said.

“It is no longer a humanitarian crisis, but rather a crisis of our humanity.” The majority of the conference´s participants insisted on the importance of prevention and the fight against impunity. “When I was first working on humanitarian crises around the world more 35 years ago, nobody talked about sexual and gender-based violence,” said Lowcock. “That is not because it was not happening. It was. But it was a hidden horror,” he said, adding: “One of the most important things we´re able to do ... is put a bright shiny spotlight on this issue.” Every third woman in the world is subjected to sexual or gender-based violence at some point in her life, according to the UN, a phenomenon exacerbated in times of humanitarian crises.