Combating Violence Against Girls
Combating Violence Against Girls
April 2009 – Catherine E. Moore, Coordinator of GWI’s UN Team in New York, represented GWI at the International Conference on Violence Against the Girl Child in The Hague (March 2009). The Conference called on all governments to take a leading role in combating violence against girls and urged multi-stakeholder partnerships between government, civil society, international organizations, media and corporate businesses to work together. Best practices were discussed with innovative ideas such as creating child help lines and safe spaces where girls can learn about their rights.
The Conference “poster-child”, Nujood Mohammed Ali, illustrated perfectly the need for action. Ten years of age and aware of her rights, she went to court and filed for divorce after repeated abuse and rape by her husband. The Dutch Minister announced a grant to enable the UN to establish a database for information on Violence Against Women (VAW) including the Girl Child, and examples of best practices in tackling the problems.
