Gender Based Violence Impedes Gains on Sustainable Development Goals

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in domestic violence against women.  The poor economic and social conditions in most countries coupled with the lockdown measures exacerbated abuse and control.

Globally, it is estimated that one in three women has experienced physical or sexual assault in her life (WHO, 2013).  Besides being a fundamental human rights violation, a major public health concern, and devastating for individual wellbeing, violence against women and girls (VAWG) also has high economic costs.  Channels through which VAWG creates “economic costs” include lower labour supply, reduced productivity per hour worked, less investment in human capital for both women and children, and possibly lower investment due to higher demand for health and judicial services.  Domestic violence adversely affects companies, with costs associated with higher rates of absenteeism, staff turnover and presenteeism/reduced productivity, and the potential for reputational damage (ILO and UN Women, 2019)

According to UN Women, the cost of violence against women (public, private and social) amounts to US $ 1.5 trillion at the global level.  The World Bank (2018) found that violence against women can cost up to 3.7% of GDP in some countries.

In March 2022, top UN officials gathered with government and civil society representatives for a special event on ending violence against women in politics (VAWP).  The gathering drew attention to the scourge of violence against women worldwide who are involved in politics, which is increasingly seeing women parliamentarians, human rights defenders and electoral observers silenced, and intimidated.

The President of the General Assembly, Abdullah Shahid, whose office organized the event on the sidelines of the Commission on the Status of Women, said: “this is a moral and ethical failure on us as a society.” He added that, alienating women from political processes undermines democratic processes at large; and that low numbers of women in politics can negatively impact political institutions’ commitment to women issues and gender equality.

Ending all forms of gender based violence can only be accelerated if more women get into decision making positions especially in public institutions.  Violence meted on women participating in politics and those voicing human rights violations just becomes a vicious cycle impeding gains made in attaining sustainable equality.  Violence against  women active in political life is a form of gender- based  violence that manifests physically, psychologically and sexually, both in-person and online.

At the same time, the head of UN Women, Sima Sami Bahous, said that “violence silences women, renders them invisible, pushes them from public sphere.” This in turn directly hinders progress on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, which aims to lift people out of poverty and create a more equal, sustainable world.  She further pointed to hate speech as one of the drivers used to discredit women in the public sphere, and noted that such violence is particularly difficult on young women who may respond by simply shunning political activism altogether.

“Only when women are safe from violence and there is accountability, only then, can we make progress”, concluded Ms. Bahous.

The cycle of Gender-based violence will end if and when women are protected so as to make decisions that will in turn protect every single woman against violence.  With women left out of both political and economic decision making and power, half of the world is excluded from sectors that are fundamental in reaching the 2030 goals; which are anchored on the belief that no one should be left behind.