VIOLENCE against women and girls is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today, and it remains largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding it, the United Nations said.
In general terms, it manifests itself in physical, sexual and psychological forms, encompassing:

•intimate partner violence (battering, psychological abuse, marital rape, femicide);
•sexual violence and harassment (rape, forced sexual acts, unwanted sexual advances, child sexual abuse, forced marriage, street harassment, stalking, cyber- harassment);
•human trafficking (slavery, sexual exploitation);
•female genital mutilation; and
•child marriage.
Alarming figures:
•1 in 3 women and girls experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, most frequently by an intimate partner;
•Only 52% of women married or in a union freely make their own decisions about sexual relations, contraceptive use and health care;
•Worldwide, almost 750 million women and girls alive today were married before their 18th birthday; while 200 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM);
•1 in 2 women killed worldwide were killed by their partners or family in 2012; while only 1 out of 20 men were killed under similar circumstances;
•71% of all human trafficking victims worldwide are women and girls, and 3 out of 4 of these women and girls are sexually exploited;
•Violence against women is as serious a cause of death and incapacity among women of reproductive age as cancer, and a greater cause of ill health than traffic accidents and malaria combined.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence (25 November) throws light on these issues, calls for solidarity with survivors, and implores us all to work towards ending this global scourge. The Day also launches the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, which this year is themed “Orange the World: #HearMeToo” to bring attention to the voices and stories of survivors. Further, on the Day, as on the 25th of every month, everyone is invited to wear the colour orange to demonstrate solidarity with survivors and support for efforts to end Gender-based violence.