During the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, held this Thursday in New York, Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur, stated: “Women and girls continue to be murdered because of their sex and gender, with the risk of feminicide being greater.” The fact of being a woman or a girl intersects with other reasons or identities,” reported Prensa Latina (PL).
According to the publication, the setbacks coincide with the numerous crises caused by wars, climate change, poverty and the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rapporteur explained that the fulfillment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 is at risk because almost half of married women currently have no decision-making power over their sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The situation of SDG five – he added – brings together calls from the multilateral organization and its experts to defend the spirit and meaning of fundamental commitments in the field of human rights and to achieve the goal of equality; today more necessary than ever.
While the UN aims to eliminate harmful practices such as early or forced marriage and female genital mutilation, nearly 736 million people are victims of physical or sexual violence by their partner or sexual violence by an unrelated person, PL said.
Other data confirms that intimate partner violence is the most common form, affecting approximately 641 million women worldwide, while younger women are particularly at risk, the publication continued.
Gender equality cannot be achieved without ensuring the enjoyment of fundamental human rights and equal and non-discriminatory participation in society, emphasized the rapporteur.