Topic [003]: Gender-Based Violence
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Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly XLVIII ECOSOC: Gender-Based Violence Topic [003]: Gender-Based Violence Introduction Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is an international pandemic that is deeply rooted in harmful gender roles and inequality1 . It is one of the most significant violations of human rights within all societies. The normalization of violence towards women, rigid gender concepts, and harmful cultural practices perpetuate GBV. The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women stated, "violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women" and "violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men." International Alert described Gender-Based Violence as a way ‘for men to not only reinforce the traditional patriarchal gender roles used to control women, but also to validate their own feelings of insecurity derived from culturally 1“W hat Is Gender-Based Violence?” European Institute for Gender Equality, February 27, 2019. https://eige.europa.eu/gender-based-violence/what-is-gender-based-violence. Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly XLVIII ECOSOC: Gender-Based Violence prescribed gender roles.2 ’ By threatening the safety, mobility, autonomy, and freedom of women, gender-based violence prevents women from fulfilling their potential as human beings and restricts their full participation in society. One in every three women globally have experienced either physical or sexual violence. This issue has devastating impacts on the victims and their families, and entails notable social and economic costs 3. Addressing this issue requires a community-based, multidimensional, sustainable approach. Effective solutions have to take into account the unique perspectives of women from all socio-economic backgrounds and address the intrinsic risk factors for violence. Many women have not accepted these violations to their autonomy and freedom, and have challenged the violence they have faced, both with and without the support of their government and community 4. Women have used socially sanctioned actions to defend themselves, such as “naming and shaming”, forming alliances, and performative acts. Women have taken it upon themselves to resist their oppressions; two monumental examples are the #MeToo Movement, the Gulabi Gang. #MeToo is an international movement against sexual assault and harassment, with the goal of breaking silence, empowering women through strength in numbers, and demonstrating empathy by speaking about their own experiences as victims of gender-based violence. The Gulabi Gang is a women’s movement 2 “Ask the Right Questions about Gender and Violent Extremism.” International Alert. Accessed January 2, 2020. https://www.international-alert.org/blogs/ask-right-questions-about-gender-and-violent-extremism. 3“G ender-Based Violence (Violence Against Women and Girls).” World Bank. Accessed December 27, 2019. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/socialdevelopment/brief/violence-against-women-and-girls . 4 “Confronting Violence Against Women - What Has Worked Well and Why.” United Nations. United Nations. Accessed December 30, 2019. https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/confronting-violence-against-women-what-has-worked-well-and-wh y . Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly XLVIII ECOSOC: Gender-Based Violence in the Banda Region in North India 5. The group originally formed in response to widespread domestic abuse and other violence against women in their community. Today, the group has over 20,000 recruits and is the largest female vigilante force globally. Figure 1: Members of the Gulabi Gang. G ULABI GANG - Women Empowerment India. “Welcome to GULABI GANG.” GULABI GANG :: Women Empowerment India. Accessed January 2, 2020. h ttps://gulabigang.in/ . The Inter-Agency Standing Committee proposes three overarching goals in their Guidelines for Integrating Gender-Based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Action 6: 1. To reduce risk of GBV by implementing GBV prevention and mitigation strategies across all areas of humanitarian response from pre-emergency through to recovery stages; 5 G ULABI GANG - Women Empowerment India. “Welcome to GULABI GANG.” GULABI GANG :: Women Empowerment India. Accessed January 2, 2020. h ttps://gulabigang.in/. 6 Inter-Agency Standing Committee. 2015. Guidelines for Integrating Gender-Based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Action: Reducing risk, promoting resilience and aiding recovery. Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly XLVIII ECOSOC: Gender-Based Violence 2. To promote resilience by strengthening national and community-based systems that prevent and mitigate GBV, and by enabling survivors and those at risk of GBV to access care and support; 3. To aid recovery of communities and societies by supporting local and national capacity to create lasting solutions to the problem of GBV. United Nations Stance The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is based on the idea that ‘no one is left behind’7 . This requires the eradication of gender inequality by challenging social norms and behaviours that incite violence. The United Nations works with governments, womens’ groups, community and religious leaders, and humanitarian organizations on legal and policy framework to put an end to gender-based violence, protect women and girls, and provide support to victims. It also supports initiatives and programs with the aim of raising community awareness through public campaigns, meaningful discussions, and education. The UN acknowledges that reducing violence against women will have signficant, positive consequences: it improves the health of women, reduces risk of HIV and STIs, reduces risk of mental illnesses, increases the likeihood of girls staying in school, and improves economic productivity. The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women has invested in 7 Replication-Receiver. “International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.” UNDP. UNDP, November 23, 2018. https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2018/Joint_UN_statement_on_In ternational_Day_for_the_Elimination_of_Violence_Against_Women_and_Girls.html. Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly XLVIII ECOSOC: Gender-Based Violence community-based and national initatives that have aimed to prevent gender-based violence for the past twenty years. Child Marriage Every year, 12 million girls under the age of 18 are married. Child marriage is a form of gender-based violence and one of the biggest violation of a girl’s fundamental rights. Child marriage usually entails the end to formal education, pregnancy at a young age (before they are physically and/or emotionally ready), and a lifetime of physical, psychological, and sexual violence. Child marriage is a practice rooted in gender inequality, traditional customs, and the belief that women are worth less than men 8. The practice is fueled by poverty, inadequate access to education, cultural and traditional practices, gender roles, and insecurity. Child marriage is seen as a strategy for economic survival. In many communites where child marriage is prevelant, girls are seen as a burden on the family, which is transferred to her husband’s family through marriage 9. Many poor families view marriage as their daughter’s best chance at having a future and reaching her full potential 10. Many families also believe that marriage is in their daughter’s best interest, as her husband can protect her from physical and sexual violence. In many societies, marrying a girl at an early age is an effort to prevent her from becoming sexaully active before marriage, which is seen as an assault on 8Girls Not Brides. “Why Does Child Marriage Happen?” Girls Not Brides. Accessed December 27, 2019. https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/why-does-it-happen/ 9 Save the Children UK, Rights of Passage, 2003 10 ICRW and Girls Not Brides, T aking action to address child marriage: the role of different sectors: Economic Growth and Workforce Development brief, 2015. Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly XLVIII ECOSOC: Gender-Based Violence the families’ and communities’ dignity. The practice is driven by patriarchal norms: the need to control a woman's autonomy and sexuality 11. It is also a common traditional practice in many communities, that has been passed down through generations. When a girl begins to menstruate, it is a symbol of becoming a woman. The next step in womanhood is believed to be becoming a mother and wife. The consquences of child marriage are devestating and long-lasting. Young, married girls are at a higher risk of pregnancy complications, infant and maternal mortality, high fertility rates, contracting AIDS and HIV infections, and becoming a victim of domestic violence. In 2007, UNICEF reported that girls who marry and give birth before the age of 15, when their bodies are not fully developed, are five times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth12 . There is also a high correlation between child marriage and HIV infections. In 2015, 7500 adolescent girls became newly infected with an HIV infection weekly. Early marriage deprives young girls of their childhood. These girls are burdened with domestic responsibility, sexual relations, and motherhood rather than recieving an education, socializing with friends, and developing both emotionally and physically. In many communities, a girl moves away from her home to live with her husband — leaving behind her family,