Close the Gap: How to eliminate violence against women beyond 2015

Overview

At least one in three women worldwide will experience some form of violence during their lifetime, often perpetrated by an intimate partner. Violence against women and girls is a fundamental human rights issue and a central challenge to development, democracy and peace.

Oxfam is very concerned that efforts to eliminate violence against women do not match the scale of the problem. In fact, while the need to end violence against women is broadly recognized, levels of violence worldwide point towards a huge gap between rhetoric and action.

The international community is failing women on this issue and will continue to fail if we do not step up our efforts.

As governments, decision makers and civil society embark on a review of the Beijing Platform for Action and consider a framework to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), there is an opportunity to close the gap and renew our commitment to the elimination of violence against women.

This paper is being launched to coincide with the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).