Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread and persistent violations of fundamental rights worldwide, resulting to some extent from what we consider normal in our societies. Not only do we strongly condemn the fact that one in three women in the world suffers physical or sexual violence, but we must also question what we as a society normalize to allow this to happen.
Faced with this question, the Gender Social Norms Index published by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) shows that 90% of the population has at least one prejudice against women, ranging from the belief that men are better business leaders and have more rights than Women, having a job, become convinced that it is okay for a man to hit his partner. Gender-based violence is not a phenomenon that arises out of nowhere, and its prevention and elimination also requires each of us to be aware of our own biases.
At UN Women and UNDP, we work to reduce gender discrimination and change sexist attitudes by promoting social norms and positive gender roles. This requires empowering girls and women and working with society as a whole to eliminate stereotypes that promote violent masculinities. To achieve this, we apply behavioral science to engage men and engage them in the prevention of violence against women and girls through more effective awareness campaigns adapted to the realities of each country in the region. Societal norms that restrict women's rights also harm society as a whole; They limit the expansion of human development and widen inequality gaps.
It is no coincidence that the difficulty of making progress on social gender norms occurs in the midst of a crisis in human development. The global Human Development Index (HDI) lost value in 2020 for the first time in history, and the same thing happened the following year. For Latin America and the Caribbean, based on its proposal for a multidimensional poverty index focusing on women, the UNDP estimated that 27.4% of them live in conditions of multidimensional poverty in 10 countries in the region.
The impact of poverty on women varies by location: in the 16 countries analyzed, 19% of those living in urban areas are multidimensionally poor, while 58% live in rural areas. The poorest women are those who face greater inequalities, participate less in the labor market and suffer greater time poverty caused by excessive unpaid care work.
These inequality gaps not only represent an obstacle to human development, but also pose a threat to democracy. Latin America and the Caribbean, the third most democratic region in the world and the only emerging region that strives for development through democracy and respect for human rights, will not achieve this if it continues to be the most violent and dangerous region for women.
In building more peaceful, just and inclusive societies, universal access to justice is critical to eliminating gender-based violence and impunity.
The Latinobarómetro 2023 report points to a clear democratic decline in Latin America: the share of the population that sees democracy as the preferred form of government fell from 60% in 2000 to 48% in 2023. Women remain underrepresented in decision-making processes, and at 70% they are also the most dissatisfied with democracy. At the same time, according to the latest data reported by official organizations to the region's Gender Equality Observatory, at least 4,050 women became victims of femicide in 2022: 4,004 from Latin America and 46 from the Caribbean.
This is a clear sign that, despite progress in several countries in the region in adopting specific and comprehensive legal frameworks and establishing specialized prosecutors and protocols to respond to gender-based violence, women's fundamental rights continue to exist without resulting in tangible achievements . Without effective governance and solid institutions that guarantee women and girls the full enjoyment of their rights, including the right to a life free from violence and discrimination, it will be impossible to regain trust in democracy in the region.
In building more peaceful, just and inclusive societies, universal access to justice is critical to eliminating gender-based violence and impunity. Girls, young people and women who suffer violence do not find adequate protection in the justice system and if they have the courage to report it, they are often re-victimized until they give up their complaint and their search for help and protection from the authorities . public facilities. At the same time, these women face a triple workload: they are faced with care responsibilities, housework and their paid jobs, which are usually precarious, informal and low-income.
When women experience violence, they usually have a distrust of the speed and effectiveness of the legal response to their situation.
In addition, much of the impetus for the legal process lies with the complainant, who not only has to appear in court on numerous occasions, but also has to bear the financial costs of transportation, the difficulties in organizing household duties, and the fear of retaliation from his assailant or members of their communities.
Added to this may be the lack of knowledge among many women about judicial or extra-judicial procedures, as well as the difficulties in accessing free services or ignorance of their existence. There is also little or no public information about specialized services. For example, when women have experienced violence, there is usually mistrust about the speed and effectiveness of the judicial response to their situation, and they also often face re-victimization practices such as: B. the compulsion to tell the facts on several occasions. or their testimony is questioned.
At UNDP and UN Women we call to build fairer societies for women. All people and societies can move forward, whether through education, social mobilization, adopting legal and policy measures, advocating for larger budgets to prevent violence, promoting dialogue and seeking consensus. Reduce prejudice and pave the way for more peaceful, safer, fairer, more inclusive and egalitarian societies, leaving no one behind on the path to sustainable development.
Maria Noel Vaeza She is UN Women's regional director for the Americas and the Caribbean.
Michelle Muschet She is UNDP's Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
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