The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has consistently advocated that violence against women and girls is a human rights violation and a public health priority.
UNFPA’s contributions in this area are a major part of its leading role within
the United Nations system in furthering gender equality and women’s empowerment,
in line with its commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) and the goals of the International Conference on Population and Development
(ICPD), the Fourth World Conference on Women (“the Beijing Conference”),
and various international human rights instruments (box 1). In the many countries
where UNFPA has a presence, it has supported the building up expertise, leadership and credibility, from organizing catalytic data collection and piloting multisectoral service networks and strategic partnerships to supporting the formulation of
national laws and policies and spearheading public awareness raising and social
mobilization campaigns. UNFPA can build upon these global experiences to expand
its support significantly, commensurate with the scale that this human rights priority
warrants.