ISLAMABAD: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is being observed across the globe today (Friday). This year theme for the day is “Unite! Activism to End Violence against Women and Girls”. In his message on the occasion, UN Secretary-General AntónioGuterres said violence against women and girls is the most pervasive human rights violation in the world.

He said every 11 minutes, a woman or girl is killed by an intimate partner or family member — and we know that other stresses, from the COVID-19 pandemic to economic turmoil, inevitably lead to even more physical and verbal abuse. Women and girls also face rampant online violence, from misogynistic hate speech, to sexual harassment, image abuse and grooming by predators.

This discrimination, violence and abuse targeting half of humanity comes at a steep cost. It limits women’s and girls’ participation in all walks of life, denies their basic rights and freedoms, and blocks the equal economic recovery and sustainable growth our world needs. He said, now is the time for transformative action that ends violence against women and girls.