speech on violence against women's in english

It is time for action to end violence against women: a speech by Lakshmi Puri at the ACP-EU Parliamentary Assembly

Date: Wednesday, 19 June 2013

Speech by Acting Head of UN Women Lakshmi Puri on Ending Violence against Women and Children at the ACP-EU Parliamentary Assembly on 18 June 2013, in Brussels

Good morning.

Honourable Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly Ms. Joyce Laboso (congratulations on this new important role) and Mr. Louis Michel, Honourable Members of Parliament, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I thank you for inviting me to address you at this ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on a matter that concerns all of us, all 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific nations and 27 European Union Member States represented in this forum, and ALL nations of the world.

It is one of the most pervasive violations of human rights in the world, one of the least prosecuted crimes, and one of the greatest threats to lasting peace and development.

I am talking about violence against women and children. I am honoured to be here, at your request, to address this urgent matter as you join together to advance human rights, democracy and the common values of humanity.

We all know that we have to do much more to respond to the cries for justice of women and children who have suffered violence. We have to do much more to end these horrible abuses and the impunity that allows these human rights violations to continue.

When we started UN Women two-and-a-half years ago, we made ending violence against women and girls one of our top priorities.

I think we can all agree that the time for complacency is long gone, has passed and belongs to another era. The silence on violence against women and children has been broken and now. Now is the time for stronger action.

It is time for action when up to 70 per cent of women in some countries face physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime.

When one in three girls in developing countries is likely to be married as a child bride; when some 140 million girls and women have suffered female genital mutilation; when millions of women and girls are trafficked in modern-day slavery; and when women’s bodies are a battleground and rape is used as a tactic of war – it is time for action.

This violence against women and children has tremendous costs to communities, nations and societies—for public well-being, health and safety, and for school achievement, productivity, law enforcement, and public programmes and budgets.

If left unaddressed, these human rights violations pose serious consequences for current and future generations and for efforts to ensure peace and security, to reduce poverty and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and the next generation of development goals we are discussing .

The effects of violence can remain with women and children for a lifetime, and can pass from one generation to another. Studies show that children who have witnessed, or been subjected to, violence are more likely to become victims or abusers themselves.

Violence against women and girls is an extreme manifestation of gender inequality and systemic gender-based discrimination. The right of women and children to live free of violence depends on the protection of their human rights and a strong chain of justice.

Countries that enact and enforce laws on violence against women have less gender-based violence. Today 160 countries have laws to address violence against women. However, in too many cases enforcement is lacking.

For an effective response to this violence, different sectors in society must work together.

A rape survivor must have rapid access to a health clinic that can administer emergency medical care, including treatment to prevent HIV and unintended pregnancies and counseling.

A woman who is beaten by her husband must have someplace to go with her children to enjoy safety, sanity and shelter.

A victim of violence must have confidence that when she files a police report, she will receive justice and the perpetrator will be punished.

And an adolescent boy in school who learns about health and sexuality must be taught that coercion, violence and discrimination against girls are unacceptable.

As the Acting Head of UN Women, I have the opportunity to meet with representatives from around the world, with government officials, civil society groups and members of the business community.

I can tell you that momentum is gathering, awareness is rising and I truly believe that long-standing indifference to violence against women and children is declining.

A recent study published in the American Sociological Review finds that transformation in attitudes are happening around the world.

The study looked at women’s attitudes about intimate partner violence in 26 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. It found that during the first decade of the 2000s, in almost every one of these countries, women became more likely to reject intimate partner violence.

The surveys found growing female rejection of domestic violence in 23 of the 26 countries. It found that “women with greater access to global cultural scripts through urban living, education, or access to media were more likely to reject intimate partner violence.”

The study’s author concludes that domestic violence is increasingly viewed as unacceptable due to changes in global attitudes. Yet even with this rising rejection, in nearly half of the countries, 12 of the 26 – more than half of women surveyed – still believe that domestic violence is justified. So even though attitudes are changing, we still have a long way to go to achieve the changes in attitudes that are necessary to end violence against women and children.

I witnessed this myself at the 57th Commission on the Status of Women at United Nations Headquarters in New York this past March. The agreement reached at the Commission on preventing and ending violence against women and girls was hard-won and tensions ran high throughout the final week of the session.

There were many times when it was unclear whether the Commission would end in deadlock, as it did 10 years before on the same theme, or if Member States were going to decide on a groundbreaking agreement.

In the end, thanks to the tireless work of civil society advocates and negotiations into the wee hours of Government delegates and UN Women colleagues, agreement was reached on a historic document that embraces the call of women around the world to break the cycle of violence and to protect the rights of women and girls.

The landmark agreement provides an action plan for Governments. It breaks this down into the four P’s: Protection of human rights, Prosecution of offenders, Prevention of violence, and Provision of Services to survivors.

Protecting human rights

When it comes to protecting rights, Governments are called on to review national legislation, practices and customs and abolish those that discriminate against women. Laws, policies and programmes that explicitly prohibit and punish violence must be put into place, in line with international agreements, and you as Members of Parliament can play a key role.

Based on findings from UN Women’s 2011-2012 Progress of the World’s Women report «In Pursuit of Justice », out of all the ACP countries, 37 have legislation against domestic violence, 34 have legislation against sexual harassment, and just nine have legislation against marital rape.

Providing services When it comes to providing services, the agreement calls for strong action to improve the quality and accessibility of services so that women have prompt access to services regardless of their location, race, age or income.

These include: health-care services including post-rape care, emergency contraception and abortion where legal; immediate and effective police responses, psychological support and counselling; legal advice and protection orders; shelter, telephone hotlines, and social assistance.

Responses must be timely and efficient to end a culture of hopelessness and impunity and foster a culture of justice and support. In almost all of the ACP countries comprehensive multisectoral services need to be put in place and made accessible to all.

Prosecuting offenders

When it comes to the prosecution of offenders, we know that ending impunity means that laws must be enforced.

Women must have access to the police to file a criminal report and receive legal advice and protection orders. The response to violence must be immediate, coordinated and effective so that crimes are punished and justice is secured. This is true for times of peace and conflict. There can be no lasting peace when women suffer sexual violence.

Courts and the justice system must be accessible and responsive to criminal and civil matters relating to violence against women. Women must be informed of their legal rights and supported to navigate the legal system.

And for this, we need more women police officers, prosecutors and judges, because we know that women serving on the frontlines of justice strengthen justice for women and children.

Preventing violence against women

When it comes to preventing violence, we must address the root causes of gender inequality and discrimination.

Evidence shows that where the “gender gap” is greater—in the status of women’s health, participation in the economy, education levels, and representation in politics— women are more likely to be subjected to violence. Especially important is economic empowerment as a prevention strategy

This means that we need to take a long-term, systemic and comprehensive approach that recognizes and protects women’s and children’s full and equal human rights.

We must promote a culture of equality between men and women through institutional and legal reform, education, awareness-raising and the full engagement of men and boys.

Honourable MPs,

Ending violence against women is one of UN Women’s key priorities and a critical part of UN Women’s mission to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Having said that, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about UN Women’s role in ending violence against women and some of our achievements.

A top priority right now is working with countries to implement the recent agreement from the Commission on the Status of Women.

I am very pleased that UN Women and the EU have agreed to work on this together. We hope, with your support, to collaborate with more regional and cross-regional bodies and groupings such as the African Union, the Latin American and Caribbean States and the Pacific Forum to follow up on the agreement from the Commission on the Status of Women to end violence against women and girls.

Today UN Women is working in 85 countries, including in many ACP countries, to prevent violence in the first place, to end impunity for these crimes, to increase access to justice and to expand essential services to survivors.

Through our global, regional and national programmes, we support the development of laws, national action plans and policies, and training programmes. We provide funding to NGOs and civil society, contribute to advocacy and awareness-raising efforts, and support local initiatives.

We work together with UNICEF and UN Habitat on the Safe Cities programme to promote the safety of women and girls in public spaces. We now work in over 20 cities around the world, and this number continues to rise. Let me share with you a few exciting examples.

In Kigali, Rwanda, a Safe City Campaign was launched by the mayor’s office and other partners. The city is advocating for reforms to an existing law on gender-based violence to include measures on sexual harassment and violence in public spaces.

In Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, bylaws on local markets now include articles which address women’s safety. Women vendors are returning to the markets following the first phase of physical and social infrastructure improvements, and a focused awareness campaign is underway on sexual harassment and sexual violence.

UN Women also administers the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. This is a leading global fund exclusively dedicated to addressing violence against women and girls. To date, the UN Trust Fund has delivered more than USD 86 million to 351 initiatives in 128 countries and territories, often directly to women’s organizations. The results have demonstrated many good practices that can, and should be, expanded.

Another global programme administered by UN Women is the Secretary-General’s UNiTE Campaign to End Violence against Women. Through strong advocacy, the campaign is mobilizing communities across the globe.

In Africa, the UNiTE Campaign organized the Kilimanjaro Climb hosted by Tanzania under the auspices of the President. This raised awareness of violence against women to the highest levels resulting in strengthened national commitments throughout Africa.

In the Pacific Region, the campaign succeeded in securing the “Pacific Members of Parliament UNiTE statement” – the first of its kind in the region, tabled at the Pacific Island Forum Leaders meeting in the Cook Islands.

In the Caribbean, 15 high-profile local artists produced a series of creative materials as part of the “Caribbean Artists, united to end violence against women” initiative, developed in the framework of the UNiTE Campaign. These materials were officially presented by the Secretary-General of CARICOM, Irwin LaRocque, last year during the gathering of CARICOM Heads of Government. This has contributed to give high visibility and strategically position the issue of violence against women in the region.

And UN Women’s COMMIT initiative has garnered new commitments by 58 Governments to prevent and end violence against women and girls. I applaud the ACP and EU member countries, and the European Union itself, for making commitments and encourage other countries to join them.

We must work together to seize the moment and move quickly so that the momentum is not lost. UN Women stands ready to assist Member States with other UN partners. We have already identified the key priorities and strategies we will be focusing:

First, Getting the Evidence: Data on Violence against Women Despite some progress in this area, there is still an urgent need to strengthen the evidence base as many countries still lack reliable and meaningful data. Actually, earlier this morning the European Women’s Lobby Centre on Violence against Women presented the findings from the 2013 Barometer focusing on rape in the EU.

In cooperation with our UN partners, we plan to build capacity in regions and countries to increase skills in data collection, analysis, dissemination and use, using the UN Statistical Commission Guidelines for obtaining data for the nine core indicators for violence against women.

Second, Strengthening Multi-sectoral Services for Survivors To this end, UN Women is working to devise globally agreed standards and guidelines on the essential services and responses that are required to meet the immediate and mid-term safety, health, and other needs of women and girls subjected to violence. I am very pleased that we are now working in partnership with UNFPA and other UN agencies to deliver this initiative.

Third, Preventing Violence against Women and Girls To this end, we will advocate for and work towards a shared understanding at the global level about what works, and provide guidance to States and other stakeholders on how to develop an holistic framework to prevent violence against women and girls; including by working systematically and consistently with male leaders and men and boys at all levels and by further strengthening women’s economic and political participation.

Fourth, Strengthening Partnerships We will continue to engage civil society and the private sector in ending violence against women and girls, working with survivors to empower them, making sure their experiences are taken into consideration in the development of responses; and working with those women and girls who suffer multiple and intersecting forms of violence who are particularly vulnerable.

Fifth and finally, we will continue to improve the knowledge base for ending violence against women by developing additional modules and updating our virtual knowledge centre.

Honourable Members of Parliament,

I would now like to take a brief moment to discuss the post-2015 development agenda, especially its role in addressing the issue of violence against women. I also had the occasion to deliver a video statement on this in your Women’s Forum which took place past Saturday and which concentrated on the post-2015 framework. I applaud the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly for regularly organizing such a Women’s Forum and strengthening this network.

UN Women is calling for a stand-alone goal on gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment and separately and concurrently gender equality mainstreamed across all goals. This is needed to address the structural foundations of gender-based inequality. To this effect, we are calling for the new framework to tackle three core areas: safety, access and voice, so women can live free of violence, enjoy equal access of opportunities and resources; and exercise their voice in leadership and participation.

In developing the post-2015 agenda and the 11th European Development Fund, we seek your support to ensure a strong focus on gender equality, women’s rights and empowerment and ending violence.

I thank you. All of us at UN Women look forward to strengthened collaboration with you and your countries through this forum to end violence against women and children.

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Speech: Let’s put an end to ‘Where are the women’?

Date: Thursday, 16 June 2022

Remarks by Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Bahous at the UN Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security

[As delivered.]

As we just heard from the Secretary General, our world is facing the highest number of violent conflicts since 1945. By some estimates , democracy around the world has been backsliding for sixteen consecutive years.

Climate change is further increasing inequalities and fueling tensions. Drought, and desertification are, as with all crises and conflict, directly increasing gender-based violence. These inter-related facts hold us all back from achieving our aspirations. And women and girls are bearing the brunt of descents into conflict or coups.

This cannot continue. It is contrary to everything that has been committed to in these very chambers, starting with Resolution 1325. It is contrary to our collective promise of Agenda 2030 and a more sustainable and peaceful future.

It was also committed to in March this year, at the 66 th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The Commission resulted in the first ever Agreed Conclusions focusing on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in the context of climate, environment, and disaster risk reduction. We must all work together to take the promises made at the CSW forward.

Any war or conflict impacts the entire life cycle of women and girls. From disrupting education to early forced marriage, sexual and gender-based violence, lack of livelihoods, food insecurity, lack of access to shelter, sanitation, and dignity. It sets us back decades.

Look to Ukraine, where the war has now surpassed 100 painful days. Reports of sexual violence are increasing. Human trafficking is increasing. And millions of mostly women, children and older persons have fled their homes. Look to Syria where eleven years of conflict has increased early forced marriage, gender-based violence and mass displacement. Look to the Sahel, where increased violent extremism is driving inequalities, food insecurity and violence.

In all these conflicts, women face additional threats to their bodies, their livelihoods, and their safety. Yet – also in all these conflicts, women are risking their lives as leaders in their communities, as the head of the household, as peacebuilders and mediators.

In the year 2000, through UN Security Council Resolution 1325, we agreed to protect women and girls in situations of conflict and to ensure that women are front-and-centre in finding peace. We have further sharpened these commitments through nine other resolutions which followed.

Many of you in this room have made national commitments as well, notably through National Action Plans on Security Council Resolution 1325. In total, we now have 100 National Action Plans globally. I applaud this historic figure. Even during the trials of the past years, Member States managed to continue this work. The UAE, Malawi and Morocco are among countries that have announced their first national action plans on Resolution 1325 in the past year.

Most Regional Organizations have also committed to this path. Twelve Regional Organizations have adopted action plans on women, peace and security, up from five when we celebrated the 15 th anniversary of Resolution 1325 in 2015. We applaud Regional Organizations for these efforts.

What we have seen is that when Member States get together and make commitments in the halls of Regional Organizations, national actions often follow. For example, once the Economic Community of West African States committed to this goal, 12 out of the 15 countries in that region followed suit. The African Union committed to ensuring half of its members would adopt plans by 2020 and has surpassed this target.

Regional organizations have also played a key role in the development of networks of women mediators. Nearly every region and sub-region now has at least one such network.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has had a registry of women experts in peace and mediation since 2018. The African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) has 29 national chapters now, and FemWise regularly deploys its members to peace processes and national dialogues led by the African Union.

More recently, networks were launched which cover the Southern Cone in the Americas and the Arab States region. The Arab women mediator’s network is the first of its kind, bringing together Arabic-speaking women leaders to be deployed to local and regional mediation processes. I encourage all member states to utilize these networks.

Yet, with all this institutional progress, almost every time there are political negotiations, peace talks – we still have to ask, ‘where are the women?’

The reason is simply that we have not fully honoured our commitments.

Take the Sahel, where we have the G-5 Sahel Women’s Platform, the Network on Peace and Security for Women in the ECOWAS Space, the West African Network of Young Female Leaders, and others. Many of you in the Security Council are members of the Group of Friends of Women in the Sahel, co-chaired by the African Union and the European Union.

Yet, we often see that the analysis and inputs from the platform are not adequately reflected in political updates.

In the Great Lakes Region, there is significant investment in mobilizing women, peace and security actors. The Ministers of the Member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region have just adopted a new plan, and we have the Regional Women’s Forum and the Advisory Board for Women, Peace and Security.

But these activities seem separate from the political talks to bring about a solution to the rising violence in eastern DRC, where an increase in attacks by the M23 and the ADF and the growing influence of ISIS has led to the killing, rape, abduction and displacement of so many Congolese women, once again.

We must ensure that women's networks and women's tracks are part and parcel of the political tracks. That women are equally included, and their voices and solutions are heard and included.

I ask that the multilateral system, all of us, defend our values with the same determination as the women’s movement does. I ask that we all be undeterred by the current challenges and negative developments. 

To do this, we must honour our commitments. Ensure that all response efforts fully include the voices of women leaders. We must ensure that women are part and parcel of finding peaceful solutions, of recovery and of prevention mechanisms.

As regional organizations, when you convene negotiations, ensure that you do not have to ask yourselves, where are the women? Make sure that women are there. In their own right. With their own lived experiences. Their own knowledge, and with their vision for their future.

As was confirmed in the recent evacuation of human rights defenders and others from Afghanistan, we must all do a better job to provide support, protection and in many cases asylum, temporary relocation, or protected status to people in harm’s way facing gender-based persecution.

Regional organizations can spur these reforms in both legislation and administrative procedures among their membership. Less than a month ago, the Council of Europe adopted a new recommendation to protect the rights of migrant, asylum-seeking, or refugee women and girls, in the wake of the displacement of millions of Ukrainians.

Let us also recall that civil society are our vital partners in these situations, yet they often pay a heavy price when conflicts begin, and their funding becomes jeopardized.

Last year, the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund supported 215 civil society organizations, reaching 10.6 million people directly and indirectly, including forcibly displaced women, women and girls with disabilities and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

The Fund also facilitated the evacuation of several Afghan women and dependents after the Taliban takeover, providing vital one-off emergency funds. The Fund is also providing life-saving support to women's organizations in Ukraine, who stay and continue to deliver services. In Mali the Fund directly supported young women with diversification of income, entrepreneur, and business opportunities.

By investing in livelihoods, we invest in the future, and we invest in an inclusive and sustainable recovery.

To conclude, I hope these examples inspire you. For our part as UN Women and partners, we plan to do much more. But we need the international community, including all regional organizations, to stand in solidarity with us, and fully honour the commitments we have made to and with women and girls in conflict situations.

This is how we restore the balance, gain a chance of peace, and stand up, together, for our shared values. The peace and security to which we aspire, will only be possible when women play a central role.

I thank you.

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Violence against women must stop; five stories of strength and survival

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Conflicts, humanitarian crises and increasing climate-related disasters have led to higher levels of violence against women and girls (VAWG), which has only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing into sharp focus the urgent need to stem the scourge.

Globally, nearly one-in-three women have experienced violence, with crises driving the numbers even higher.

Gender-based violence (GBV), the most pervasive violation of human rights, is neither natural, nor inevitable, and must be prevented.

Marking the 16 Days of Activism to combat violence against women and girls, UN Women is showcasing the voices of five survivors, each of whose names has been changed to protect their identity. Be forewarned that each character sketch includes descriptions of gender-based violence.

‘Convinced’ she would be killed

From the Argentine province of Chaco, 48-year-old mother of seven, Diana suffered for 28 years before finally deciding to separate from her abusive partner.

“I wasn't afraid that he would beat me, I was convinced that he would kill me,” she said.

At first, she hesitated to file a police complaint for fear of how he might react, but as she learned more about the services provided by a local shelter, she realized that she could escape her tormentor. She also decided to press charges.

Living with an abusive father, her children also suffered psychological stress and economic hardship.

Leaving was not easy, but with the support of a social workers, a local shelter and a safe space to recover, Diana got a job as an administrative assistant in a municipal office.

Accelerate gender equality

• Violence against women and girls is preventable.
• Comprehensive strategies are needed to tackle root causes, transform harmful social norms, provide services for survivors and end impunity.
• Evidence shows that strong, autonomous women’s rights movements are critical to thwarting and eliminating VAWG.
• The  Generation Equality Forum  needs support to stem the VAWG violence.

“I admit that it was difficult, but with the [mental health] support, legal aid and skills training, I healed a lot,” she explained.

Essential services for survivors of domestic violence are a lifeline.

“I no longer feel like a prisoner, cornered, or betrayed. There are so many things one goes through as a victim, including the psychological [persecution] but now I know that I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to”.

Diana is among 199 women survivors housed at a shelter affiliated with the Inter-American Shelter Network, supported by UN Women through the  Spotlight Initiative  in Latin America. The shelter has also provided psychosocial support and legal assistance to more than 1,057 women since 2017.

Diana’s full story is  here .

Survivor now ‘excited about what lies ahead’

Meanwhile, as the COVID-19 pandemic swept through Bangladesh, triggering a VAWG surge, many shelters and essential services shut down

Romela had been married to a cruel, torturous man.

“When I was pregnant, he punched me so hard I ended up losing my baby...I wanted to end my life”, she said.

She finally escaped when her brother took her to the  Tarango  women’s shelter, which in partnership with UN Women, was able to expand its integrated programme to provide safe temporary accommodations, legal and medical services, and vocational training to abused women who were looking for a fresh start.

Living in an abusive relationship often erodes women’s choices, self-esteem and potential. Romela had found a place where she could live safely with her 4-year-old daughter.

Opening a new chapter in her life, she reflected, “other people always told me how to dress, where to go, and how to live my life. Now, I know these choices rest in my hands”.

 “ I feel confident, my life is more enjoyable ,” said the emancipated woman.

Tarango  houses 30–35 survivors at any given time and delivers 24/7 services that help them recover from trauma, regain their dignity, learn new skills, and get job placement and a two-month cash grant to build their economic resilience.

“Our job is to make women feel safe and empowered, and to treat them with the utmost respect and empathy,” said Programme Coordinator Nazlee Nipa.

Click  here  for more on her story.

Uphill battle with in-laws

Goretti returned to western Kenya in 2001 to bury her husband and, as dictated by local culture, remained in the family’s homestead.

“But they wouldn’t give me food. Everything I came with from Nairobi – clothes, household items – was taken from me and divided between the family,” she recounted.

For nearly 20 years after her husband’s death, Goretti was trapped in a life of abuse until her in-laws they beat her so badly that she was hospitalized and unable to work.

Afraid to go to law enforcement, Goretti instead reached out to a local human rights defender, who helped her get medical attention and report the case to the local authorities.

They wouldn’t give me food. Everything...was taken from me and divided between the family – Survivor

However, she quickly discovered that her in-laws had already forged with the police an agreement in her name to withdraw the case.

“But I cannot even write”, Goretti said.

Human rights defenders in Kenya are often the first responders to violations, including GBV. Since 2019, UN Women and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights ( OHCHR ) have been supporting grass-roots organizations that provide legal training and capacity-building to better assist survivors.

In addition to reporting the issue to local police and the courts, human rights defender Caren Omanga, who was trained by one of these organizations, also contacted the local elders.

“I was almost arrested when confronting the officer-in-charge”, Ms. Omanga explained. But knowing that the community would be against Goretti, she started “the alternative dispute-resolution process, while pushing the case to court”.

Finally, with her case settled out of court, Goretti received an agreement granting her the property and land title that she had lost in her marriage dowry, and the perpetrators were forced to pay fines to avoid prison.

“It is like beginning a new life after 20 years, and my son is feeling more secure… I’m thinking of planting some trees to safeguard the plot and building a poultry house”, she said.

Read Goretti’s story in its entirety  here.

Raising consciousness

In Moldova, sexual harassment and violence are taboo topics and, fearing blame or stigmatization, victims rarely report incidents.

At age 14, Milena was raped by her boyfriend in Chisinau. She was unaware that her violation was a sexual assault and continued to see her abuser for another six months before breaking up. Then she tried to forget it.

“This memory was blocked, as if nothing happened”, until two years later, upon seeing an Instagram video that triggered flashbacks of her own assault, she said.

Almost one-in-five men in Moldova have sexually abused a girl or a woman, including in romantic relationships, according to  2019 research  co-published by UN Women.

Determined to understand what had happened to her, Milena learned more about sexual harassment and abuse, and later began raising awareness in her community.

Last year, she joined a UN Women youth mentorship programme, where she was trained on gender equality and human rights and learned to identify abuse and challenge sexist comments and harassment.

Milena went on to develop a self-help guide for sexual violence survivors , which, informed by survivors aged 12 – 21, offers practical guidance to seek help, report abuse, and access trauma recovery resources.

Against the backdrop of cultural victim-blaming, which prevents those who need it from getting help, the mentoring programme focuses on feminist values and diversity, and addresses the root causes of the gender inequalities and stereotypes that perpetuate GBV and discrimination.

“The programme has shown that youth activism and engagement is key to eliminating gender inequalities in our societies”, explained Dominika Stojanoska, UN Women Country Representative in Moldova.

Read more about Milena  here .

Support survivors, break the cycle of violence

A 2019 national survey revealed that only three-out-of-100 sexual violence survivors in Morocco report incidents to the police as they fear being shamed or blamed and lack trust in the justice system.

Layla began a relationship with the head of a company she worked for. He told her he loved her, and she trusted him.

“But he hit me whenever I disagreed with him. I endured everything, from sexual violence to emotional abuse…he made me believe that I stood no chance against him”, she said.

Pregnant, unmarried and lonely, Layla finally went to the police.

To her great relief, a female police officer met her, and said that there was a solution.

“I will never forget that. It has become my motto in life. Her words encouraged me to tell her the whole story. She listened to me with great care and attention”, continued Layla.   

She was referred to a local shelter for single mothers where she got a second chance.

Two years ago, she gave birth to a daughter, and more recently completed her Bachelor’s Degree in mathematics.

“I was studying while taking care of my baby at the single mother’s shelter”, she said, holding her daughter’s hand. 

UN Women maintains that building trust and confidence in the police is an integral part of crime prevention and community safety.

When professionally trained police handle GBV cases, survivors are more likely to report abuse and seek justice, health and psychosocial  services  that help break the cycle of violence while sending a clear message that it is a punishable crime.

Over the past few years, the General Directorate of National Security, supported by UN Women, has restructured the national police force to better support women survivors and prevent VAWG.

Today, all 440 district police stations have dedicated personnel who refer women survivors to the nearest specialized unit.

“It takes a lot of determination and courage for women to ask the police for support”, said Saliha Najeh, Police Chief at Casablanca Police Unit for Women Victims of Violence, who, after specialized training through the UN Women programme, now trains her police officers to use a survivor-centred approach in GBV cases.  

As of 2021, 30 senior police officers and heads of units have been trained through the programme.

“Our role is to give survivors all the time they need to feel safe and comfortable, and for them to trust us enough to tell their story”, she said.

Prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Morocco has also expanded channels for survivors to report and access justice remotely through a 24-hour toll-free helpline, an electronic complaints mechanism, and online court sessions.

Click  here  for the full story.

These stories were originally published by UN Women.

• violence against women
• gender-based violence

The future is equal

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Violence against women and girls: enough is enough

Despite her young age, Komal from India, has already faced a lifetime of discrimination. But she’s determined to use sport to show her strength, and is literally fighting for gender equality.

Did you know that at least one in three women (35 per cent) will experience some form of violence during their lifetime - more than one billion women worldwide ?

Violence against women and girls is a hidden global crisis which knows no boundaries of geography or culture. But, marginalized women, such as poor women and girls, are most likely to experience it, most often at the hands of their husbands or partners.

One of the most widespread violations of human rights

Violence against women and girls takes many different forms, including domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment, child, early and forced marriage, sex trafficking, so called ‘honor’ crimes and female genital mutilation. It is rooted in the gender inequality that women face throughout their lives from childhood through to old age.

Many perpetrators believe that violence toward women and girls is normal or appropriate behavior, supported by society. They feel that they can commit violence without disapproval.

It is one of the most widespread violations of human rights and has long-term devastating effects on the lives of women, their communities and wider society. It is time to say ‘enough is enough’. We want violence against women to end.

Violence on a massive scale

• 35 percent of women will experience violence at the hands of their current or former partners in their lifetime, up to 70 percent according to some national studies.
• Around 650 million women alive today were married as children. Of those women, more than one in three got married before 15. 
• 200 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation - the majority of girls are cut before the age of five.
• Women and girls together account for 71 percent of all human trafficking victims detected globally, with girls representing nearly three out of every four trafficked children.

Violence and poverty: a vicious cycle  

We believe that violence against women and girls is one of the most significant barriers to our mission to end poverty.

Violence against women and girls not only devastates women’s lives and divides communities, but it also undermines development efforts and the building of strong democracies and just, peaceful societies.

Violence locks women and girls into poverty. It limits women’s choices; their ability to access education, earn a living and participate in political and public life. Poverty exposes them to further violence and a lack of options when violence occurs.

We can change this

We can change the harmful beliefs at the core of this problem. What was learned can be unlearned. It is time for us all, women, men, girls, boys and key public actors to end violence against women and girls.

• UN Observances

UNiTE! Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women & Girls! #No Excuse

Violence against women and girls remains one of the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations in the world. Globally, an estimated 736 million women — almost one in three — have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their life.

This scourge has intensified in different settings, including the workplace and online spaces, and has been exacerbated by post-pandemic effects, conflicts, and climate change.

The solution lies in robust responses, including investment in prevention. However, alarmingly, data on how much nations are committing to counteract violence against women and girls remains glaringly sparse.

For instance, just 5% of government aid is focused on tackling violence against women and girls, and less than 0.2% is directed to its prevention.

We need more investment in women’s organizations, better legislation, prosecution of perpetrators, more services for survivors, and training for law enforcement officials.

Join our 16 days of activism

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women will mark the launch of the UNiTE campaign (Nov 25- Dec 10) — an initiative of 16 days of activism concluding on the day that commemorates the International Human Rights Day (10 December).

This 2023 campaign Invest to Prevent Violence against Women & Girls will call on citizens to show how much they care about ending violence against women and girls and call on governments worldwide to share how they are investing in gender-based violence prevention. Join the global movement with the #NoExcuse slogan calling for urgent investments to prevent violence against women and girls.  Dig deeper into the campaign’s proposals –data, prevention, investments– and join the global movement with the #NoExcuse slogan to eliminate violence against women and girls.

UN Women’s action kit

Be a voice for survivors and for associations and movements that fight for women's rights. We can all do something to empower survivors and prevent and reduce gender-based violence. Use UN Women's social media materials and become an activist.

Why we must eliminate violence against women

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding it.

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.

To further clarify, the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women issued by the UN General Assembly in 1993, defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”

The adverse psychological, sexual and reproductive health consequences of VAWG affect women at all stages of their life. For example, early-set educational disadvantages not only represent the primary obstacle to universal schooling and the right to education for girls; down the line they are also to blame for restricting access to higher education and even translate into limited opportunities for women in the labour market.

While gender-based violence can happen to anyone, anywhere, some women and girls are particularly vulnerable - for instance, young girls and older women, women who identify as lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex, migrants and refugees, indigenous women and ethnic minorities, or women and girls living with HIV and disabilities, and those living through humanitarian crises.

Violence against women continues to be an obstacle to achieving equality, development, peace as well as to the fulfillment of women and girls’ human rights. All in all, the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - to leave no one behind - cannot be fulfilled without putting an end to violence against women and girls.

Did you know?

• More than five women or girls are killed every hour by someone in their own family.
• Almost one in three women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence at least once in their life.
• 86% of women and girls live in countries without legal protections against gender-based violence.

Source: More data from UN Women

You are not alone

Have you experienced abuse and need help? If you have felt threatened, unsafe or need assistance, please see the list of country help lines .

Against the Pushback, We #PushForward | 16 Days 2022

Report on femicide/feminicide 2022

Gender-related killings of women and girls

5 every hour....

That's how many women and girls are killed by someone in their own family. Let's stop this clock and take action to end violence against women & girls NOW. Find out more in the new report on Gender-related killings of women & girls .

In first person

Read about Diana’s story, an Argentine who suffered abuse for almost 30 years and how she managed to get out of her nightmare.

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Let's put an end to this problem by using data

The availability of data on gender violence has improved substantially and there is currently information from at least 161 countries. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women are working to draw conclusions from these figures. Visit the UNFPA multimedia website, with data classified by country, as well as UN Women facts , obtained through its Global Database to end gender violence .

Leaving no one behind  

Join us on a new, global, multi-year initiative focused on eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls, The Spotlight Initiative .

The program’s results last year were outstanding: 22% increase in prosecution of perpetrators; eighty-four laws and policies were passed or strengthened; and more than 650,000 women and girls were able to access gender-based violence services, despite restrictions related to the pandemic.

Why do we mark International Days?

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances .

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Director Rosie Hidalgo Delivers Remarks at the Conference on Crimes Against Women

Dallas , TX United States

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Good morning! I want to thank Jan Langbein and Becky Park for their amazing dedication and for bringing us all together for this important conference. I want to extend my deep gratitude to each of you here today for your hard work and service and the commitment to continue learning from one another.

And I want to thank you, Pam, for your dedication and partnership and for the leadership of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in preventing and addressing firearms-related domestic violence.

I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) at the Justice Department and collaborate with so many individuals and organizations dedicated to furthering our nation’s commitment to ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and other related forms of gender-based violence.

OVW is tasked with overseeing the implementation of key parts of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), landmark bipartisan legislation first enacted by Congress in 1994. One of the hallmarks of VAWA is fostering a Coordinated Community Response, or CCR. The Crimes Against Women Conference is a wonderful forum to amplify the importance of collaboration across all sectors, to strengthen a multi-disciplinary approach to supporting survivors and their children. The response of each person a survivor encounters is critical to how — or even if — that survivor finds safety, justice and healing.

As we prepare to commemorate the 30th anniversary of VAWA this September, it is an opportunity for all of us collectively to reflect on the substantial progress that has been made. Fortunately, there have been significant paradigm shifts in society’s perceptions of these crimes and our responses to them. Individuals and organizations — including all of you here today — have worked tirelessly to bring these issues out of the shadows, support survivors and hold offenders accountable.

However, as you undoubtedly know, we still have much further to go. Many survivors still encounter significant challenges navigating complex systems and accessing critical resources and support that are trauma-informed and survivor-centered and that meet their unique circumstances.

As has been mentioned, there are important laws to prohibit those convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from purchasing or possessing firearms. However, we know that for laws to be effective, it requires collaboration across sectors to ensure implementation, and to provide critical support for survivors at increased risk of serious injury or death.

OVW has been funding 12 sites across the country through our Firearms Technical Assistance Project (FTAP) to help communities implement policies and promising practices to reduce DV homicides and injuries committed with firearms. I had an opportunity recently to visit one of those sites in Birmingham, Alabama, to see firsthand the difference it is making in strengthening community collaboration to implement the firearms prohibitors and reduce both domestic violence and community violence.

Through these projects we have seen how important it is to develop tools to support a better understanding of these laws and how to implement them to increase victim safety.

As Pam mentioned, the reference card that has been shared with participants today and will be distributed nationally is a product of ongoing collaboration within the Justice Department. We hope this reference tool is something you can bring back and share out in your community to help in the investigation and prosecution of these cases.

OVW is also pleased to fund a National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms, which is led by the Battered Women’s Justice Project. Their staff is here at the conference and will lead a workshop to provide additional training on these issues, along with the FBI.

Additionally, this afternoon, OVW’s Deputy Director of Policy, Linda Phan, will be co-presenting with FBI, ATF and the Northern District of Alabama on federal resources to support your work in addressing firearms and domestic violence.

Another great example of this collaboration can be found right here in Dallas, where U.S Attorney Leigha Simonton for the Northern District of Texas has partnered with local authorities and victim services to federally prosecute these cases.

We are committed to build these partnerships and work with our federal colleagues, as well as state and local prosecutors, law enforcement and victim advocates. When we work together on behalf of survivors, we can save lives and help create communities free from violence.

And that’s why I’m particularly proud to share with you another collaborative effort. As the result of our close collaboration with state and federal prosecutors, OVW is releasing today a new resource for prosecutors: a Framework for Prosecutors to Strengthen Our National Response to Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Involving Adult Victims.

This guide is designed to complement similar guidance for law enforcement that then-Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta announced at this very conference two years ago when she announced the updated guidance on “Improving Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence by Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias.”

This new guide for prosecutors provides a blueprint for building provable cases in a trauma-informed manner that treats victims with humanity and ensures due process for defendants. It sets out five principles that, if implemented, will lead to better outcomes for victims, safer communities and greater accountability for perpetrators of gender-based violence.

These principles are designed to address myths and misconceptions that often derail investigations and prosecutions of credible allegations. We are also launching a webpage to house additional resources to assist prosecutors in implementing the principles.

This guide was written by prosecutors for prosecutors. We began by partnering with our colleagues at the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) to convene an initial roundtable of prosecutors from around the country with expertise in prosecuting sexual assault and domestic violence.

One of our attorneys at OVW, who has previously served as a prosecutor for two decades, then spearheaded the effort to develop the guide. She also got input–from more than 120 state, Tribal, military and federal prosecutors, as well as advocates, academics and investigators who have dedicated their careers to addressing sexual assault and domestic violence. We are grateful to those who contributed to the development of the guide, including many of you who are here at the conference.

We are proud to announce these two new resources today from the Department of Justice. Your experiences, expertise and advocacy are what contribute to the development of these resources as we continue to learn from one another and strengthen collaboration.

As we mark VAWA’s 30th this year, we are reflecting on how each VAWA reauthorization has been an opportunity for stakeholders and policy makers to identify what is working well that we can continue to scale up, as well as identify gaps and barriers that need to be addressed, ensuring that these efforts are rooted in the voices and lived realities of survivors.

And each time VAWA has been reauthorized, most recently in 2022, it has allowed us to expand and enhance the ways in which we can do this important work. OVW grants and cooperative agreements provide critical resources to support a broad array of services across all U.S. states, territories and many Tribal nations. Since 2021, funding for VAWA implementation has increased by over 35%, with fiscal year 2024 appropriations reaching $713 million. Additionally, as a result of new provisions in the reauthorization of VAWA in 2022, OVW has launched several new grant programs and initiatives this year to continue to broaden pathways to justice, safety, healing and well-being for survivors.

With that said, I hope you will join me tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. for an OVW listening session. As we commemorate the 30th anniversary of VAWA, we want to hear directly from you — what are the strengths and promising practices that need to be scaled up; what are the challenges and barriers that victims face; how can we improve our partnership and strengthen a coordinated community response; and, ultimately, how can we strengthen prevention efforts and increase access to justice, safety, healing and well-being for survivors and their families.

Thank you again for allowing me the opportunity to be here and for all that you do.

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Speech: This is the moment, the opportunity, to finally call time on gender inequality

Date: Sunday, 17 September 2023

[As delivered.]

Welcome on behalf of UN Women, the global convenor of  Generation Equality . Welcome to our  Generation Equality Midpoint Moment .

We meet on the eve of the  SDG Summit , seized by the challenges and the urgent imperatives to accelerate progress.  Our latest research  tells us that at the current rate of progress, more than 340 million women and girls will still live in extreme poverty by 2030, and close to one in four will experience moderate or severe food insecurity.

We need renewed energy, we need renewed commitment, and we need our will to change this trajectory. Generation Equality provides us with this opportunity.

All of us here today are Generation Equality.

We are Generation Equality because we are all feminists.

We are Generation Equality because we know that gender equality and SDG 5 are the greatest of enablers and that the dividends of equality are limitless.

We are Generation Equality because we believe in and model the power of multistakeholder partnerships.

We are Generation Equality because we know that our coalition must stretch from the global to the local and we aspire to connect the energy here in this room with the energy at grass roots level around the world.

We are Generation Equality, and we are at the heart of change.

Fellow feminists,

At this Midpoint Moment we take stock, hold ourselves accountable, grow our movement, and energize ourselves and others, building on the achievements in Mexico City and Paris two years ago. We do so with pride. And our pride is based on evidence.

In just two years, youth, civil society, governments, private sector, and philanthropists have delivered unprecedented action. Collectively, Commitment Makers have already spent almost USD 10 billion on gender equality. Across the world they have already initiated or are implementing 849 policies, 2,306 programmes and 3,649 advocacy initiatives.

This is quite impressive.

In 2022, Compact signatories spent almost USD 1 billion on women, peace and security and humanitarian action, reaching 22.1 million women and girls. We should congratulate ourselves as we challenge ourselves to do more. Commitment Makers have reported a new total of USD 47 billion in financial commitments, with USD 20 billion already secured. And there is much more to come. And we thank you all for that.

Excellencies, partners, colleagues, friends, and fellow feminists,

This is the moment, the opportunity, to finally call time on gender inequality. This is when we say enough to pushback, enough to regression, enough to ongoing failures to invest and act.

We are disruptors. Our commitment is unwavering, the cause we work for, collectively, is undeniable.

I look forward to our time together here today.

And I thank you.

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Remarks by President   Biden at the Morehouse College Class of 2024 Commencement Address | Atlanta,   GA

Morehouse College Atlanta, Georgia

10:29 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you, thank you, thank you, President Thomas, faculty, staff, alumni.  And a special thanks — I’ll ask all the folks who helped you get here — your mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers — all those who got you here, all the way in the back, please, parents, grandparents, all who helped, stand up, because we owe you a debt of gratitude.  (Applause.)  To all the family.  And that is not hyperbole.  A lot of you, like my family, had to make significant sacrifices to get your kids to school.  It mattered.  This mattered a lot. And the friends of Morehouse and the Morehouse men of the Class of 2024.  I got more Morehouse men in the White House telling me what to do than I know what to do.  (Laughter.)  You all think I’m kidding, don’t you?  (Laughs.)  You know I’m not.  And it’s the best thing that’s happened to me.

Scripture says, “The prayers of a righteous man availeth much.”  In Augusta, Georgia, a righteous man once enslaved set foot for freedom.  The story goes he feared no evil; he walked through the valley of the shadow of death on his way north to free soil in Philadelphia.  A Baptist minister, he walked with faith in his soul, powering the steps of his feet to glory.  But after the Union won the war, he knew his prayers availed him freedom that was not his alone.  And so, this righteous man, Richard Coulter, returned home, his feet wary, his spirit in no ways tired.  A hundred and fifty-seven years ago — you all know the story, but the rest of the world doesn’t, and it should — in the basement of a Baptist church in Augusta, he and two other ministers, William Jefferson White and Edmund Turney, planted the seeds of something revolutionary — and it was at the time — a school — a school to help formerly enslaved men enter the ministry, where education would be the great equalizer from slavery to freedom — an institution of higher learning that would become Morehouse College.

I don’t know any other college in America that has that tradition and that consequence. To the Class of 2024, you join, as you know, a sacred tradition.  An education makes you free.  And Morehouse education makes you fearless.  (Applause.)  I mean it.  Visionary.  Exceptional.  Congratulations.  You are Morehouse men.  God love you.  (Applause.) 

And, again, I thank your families and your friends who helped you get here, because they made sacrifices for you as well. This graduation day is a day for generations, a day of joy, a day earned, not given.

We gather on this Sunday morning because — if we were in church, perhaps there would be this reflection.  There would be a reflection about resurrection and redemption.  Remember, Jesus was buried on Friday, and it was Sunday — on Sunday he rose again.  But — but we don’t talk enough about Saturday, when the discip- — his disciples felt all hope was lost.  In our lives and the lives of the nation, we have those Saturdays — to bear witness the day before glory, seeing people’s pain and not looking away.  But what work is done on Saturday to move pain to purpose?  How can faith get a man, get a nation through what was to come? 

Here’s what my faith has taught me. 

I was the first Biden to ever graduate from college, taking out loans with my dad and my — all through school to get me there.  My junior year spring break, I fell in love at first sight, literally, with a woman I adored.  I graduated from law school in her hometown, and I got married and took a job at a law firm in my hometown, Wilmington, Delaware.  But then everything changed. 

One of my heroes — and he was my hero — a Baptist minister, a Morehouse man, Dr. Martin Luther King — in April of my law school graduation year, he was murdered. 

My city of Wilmington — and we were a — to our great shame, a slave state, and we were segregated.  Delaware erupted into flames when he was assassinated, literally. 

We’re the only city in America where the National Guard patrolled every street corner for nine full months with drawn bayonets, the longest stretch in any American city since the Civil War.  Dr. le- — Dr. King’s legacy had a profound impact on me and my generation, whether you’re Black or white.  I left the fancy law firm I had just joined and decided to become a public defender and then a county councilman, working to change our state’s politics to embrace the cause of civil rights.  The Democratic Party in Delaware was a Southern Democratic Party at the time.  We wanted to change it to become a Northeastern Democratic Party. 

Then, we were trying to get someone to run for the United States Senate the year Nixon ran.  I was 29 years of age.  I had no notion of running — I love reading about everybody knew I was going to run; I didn’t know I was going to run — (laughter) — when a group of senior members of the Democratic Party came to me.  They couldn’t find anybody to run and said, “You should run.”  Nixon won my state by 60 percent of the vote.  We won by 3,100 votes.  We won by the thinnest of margins but with a broad coalition, including students from the best HBCU in America, Delaware State University.  You guys are good, but — (laughter) — they got me elected.  And you all — you all think I’m kidding.  (Laughter.)  I’m not kidding. But by Christmas, I was a newly elected senator hiring staff in Washington, D.C., when I got a call from the first responders, my fire department in my hometown, that forever altered my life.  They put a young woman first responder on the line to say, “There was an automobile accident.  A tractor-trailer hit your wife’s car while she was Christmas shopping with your three children.”  And she — poor woman, she just blurted out.  She said, “Your wife and daughter are killed” — my 13-month-old daughter — “they’re dead, and your almost three-year-old and four-year-old sons are badly injured.  We’re not sure they’re going to make it, either.”  I rushed from Washington to their bedside.  I wanted to pray, but I was so angry.  I was angry at God.  I was angry at the world.

I had the same pain 43 years later when that four-year-old boy who survived was a grown man and a father himself, laying in another hospital bed at Walter Reed hospital having contracted stage four glioblastoma because he was a year in Iraq as a major — he won the Bronze Star — living next to a burn pit.  Cancer took his last breath. On this walk of life, you can understand — you come to understand that we don’t know where or what fate will bring you or when.  But we also know we don’t walk alone.  When you’ve been a beneficiary of the compassion of your family, your friends, even strangers, you know how much the compassion matters.  I’ve learned there is no easy optimism, but by faith — by faith, we can find redemption. 

I was a single father for five years — 

No man deserves one great love, let alone two.  My youngest brother, who was a hell of an athlete, did a great thing.  He introduced me to a classmate of his and said, “You’ll love her; she doesn’t like politics.”  (Laughter.)  But all kidding aside, until I met Jill, who healed — who healed the family in all the broken places.  Our family became my redemption.  Many of you have gone through similar or worse — and even worse things.  But you lean on others, they lean on you, and together, you keep the faith in a better day tomorrow.  But it’s not easy.

I know four years ago, as some of your speakers have already mentioned, it felt like one of those Saturdays.  

The pandemic robbed you of so much.  Some of you lost loved ones — mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, who were — aren’t able to be here to celebrate with you today — today.  You missed your high school graduation.  You started college just as George Floyd was murdered and there was a reckoning on race. 

It’s natural to wonder if democracy you hear about actually works for you. 

What is democracy if Black men are being killed in the street? 

What is democracy if a trail of broken promises still leave Black — Black communities behind? 

What is democracy if you have to be 10 times better than anyone else to get a fair shot? 

And most of all, what does it mean, as we’ve heard before, to be a Black man who loves his country even if it doesn’t love him back in equal measure?  (Applause.)

When I sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, in front of the fireplace across from my — my desk, I have two busts: one of Dr. King and one of Bobby Kennedy.  I often find myself looking at those busts and making decisions.  I ask myself: Are we living up to what we say we are as a nation, to end racism and poverty, to deliver jobs and justice, to restore our leadership in the world?  Then I look down and see the rosary on my wrist that was out of — my late son, he had on him when he w- — died at Walter Reed and I was with him.  And I ask myself: What would he say?  I know the answer because he told me in his last days. 

My son knew the days were numbered.  The last conversation was, “Dad, I’m not afraid, but I’m worried.  I’m worried you’re going to give up when I go.  You’re going to give up.” We have an expression in the Biden family.  When you want someone to know — give you their word, you say, “Look at me.”  He was lying to me — he said, “Look at me, Dad.  Look at me.” 

He said, “Give me your word.  Give me your word as my father that you will not quit, that you will stay engaged.  Promise me, Dad.  Stay engaged.  Promise me.  Promise me.” I wrote a book called “Promise Me, Dad,” not for the public at large, although a lot of people would end up buying it.  It’s for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren to know who Beau Biden was. 

The rosary on the — my wrist, the bust in my office remind me that faith asks you to hold on to hope, to move heaven and earth to make better days.  Well, that’s my commitment to you: to show you democracy, democracy, democracy is still the way.

If Black men are being killed on the streets, we bear witness.  For me, that means to call out the poison of white supremacy, to root out systemic racism. 

I stood up for George — with George Floyd’s family to help create a country where you don’t need to have that talk with your son or grandson as they get pulled over.

Instead of a trail of broken promises, we’re investing more money than ever in Black families and Black communities.  We’re reconnecting Black neighborhoods cut off by old highways and decades of disinvestment where no one cared about the community. 

We’ve delivered checks in pockets to reduce child — Black child poverty to the lowest rate in history.  We’re removing every lead pipe in America so every child can drink clean water without fear of brain damage, and then can’t afford to remove the lead pipes themselves. 

We’re delivering affordable high-speed Internet so no child has to sit in their parents’ car or do their homework in a parking lot outside of McDonald’s.

Instead of forcing you to prove you’re 10 times better, we’re breaking down doors so you have 100 times more opportunities: good-paying jobs you can raise a family on in your neighborhood — (applause); capital to start small business and loans to buy homes; health insurance, prescriptions drugs, housing that’s more affordable and accessible.

I’ve walked the picket line and defended the rights of workers.  I’m relieving the burden of student debt — many of you have already had the benefit of it — (applause) — so I [you] can chase your dreams and grow the economy.  When the Supreme Court told me I couldn’t, I found two other ways to do it.  (Applause.)  And we were able to do it, because it grows the economy.  And I — in addition to the original $7 billion investment in HBCUs, I’m investing 16 billion  more dollars — (applause) — more in our history, because you’re vital to our nation.  Most HBCUs don’t have the endowments.  The jobs of the future require sophisticated laboratories, sophisticated oppor- — opportunity on campus.  We’re opening doors so you can walk into a life of generational wealth, to be providers and leaders for your families and communities.  Today, record numbers of Black Americans have jobs, health insurance, and more [wealth] than ever.

Democracy is also about hearing and heeding your generation’s call to a community free of gun violence and a planet free of climate crisis and showing your power to change the world.

But I also know some of you ask: What is democracy if we can’t stop wars that break out and break our hearts?

In a democracy, we debate and dissent about America’s role in the world. 

I want to say this very clearly.  I support peaceful, nonviolent protest.  Your voices should be heard, and I promise you I hear them.  I determined to make my c- — my administration look like America.  I have more African Americans in high places, including on the Court, than any president in American history — (applause) — because I need the input. What’s happening in Gaza and Israel is heartbreaking.  Hamas’s vicious attack on Israel, killing innocent lives and holding people hostage.  I was there nine days after, s- — pictures of tying a mother and a daughter with a rope, pouring kerosene on them, burning them and watching as they died.  Innocent Palestinians caught in the middle of all this: men, women, and children killed or displaced in despite — in desperate need of water, food, and medicine.  It’s a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.  That’s why I’ve called for an immediate ceasefire — an immediate ceasefire to stop the fighting — (applause) — bring the hostages home.  And I’ve been working on a deal as we speak, working around the clock to lead an international effort to get more aid into Gaza, rebuild Gaza.   I’m also working around the clock for more than just one ceasefire.  I’m working to bring the region together.  I’m working to build a lasting, durable peace.  Because the question is, as you see what’s going on in Israel today: What after?  What after Hamas?  What happens then?  What happens in Gaza?  What rights do the Palestinian people have?  I’m working to make sure we finally get a two-state solution — the only solution — (applause) — for two people to live in peace, security, and dignity.  This is one of the hardest, most complicated problems in the world.  And there’s nothing easy about it.  I know it angered and frustrates many of you, including my family.  But most of all, I know it breaks your heart.  It breaks mine as well.  Leadership is about fighting through the most intractable problems.  It’s about challenging anger, frustration, and heartbreak to find a solution.  It’s about doing what you believe is right, even when it’s hard and lonely. You’re all future leaders, every one of you graduating today.  And that’s not hyperbole.  You’re future leaders, all of you.  You’ll face complicated, tough moments.  In these moments, you’ll listen to others, but you’ll have to decide, guided by knowledge, conviction, principle, and your own moral compass.

And the desire to know what freedom is, what it can be is the heart and soul of why this college was founded in the first place, proving that a free nation is born in the hearts of men spellbound by freedom.  But the — that’s the magic of Morehouse.  That’s the magic of America.

But let’s be clear what happens to you and your family when old ghosts in new garments seize power, extremists come for the freedoms you thought belonged to you and everyone. 

Today in Georgia, they won’t allow water to be available to you while you wait in line to vote in an election.  What in the hell is that all about?  (Applause.)  I’m serious.  Think about it.  And then the constant attacks on Black election workers who count your vote.

Insurrectionists who storm the Capitol with Confederate flags are called “patriots” by some.  Not in my house.  (Applause.)  Black police officers, Black veterans protecting the Capitol were called another word, as you’ll recall. 

They also say out loud, these other groups, immigrants “poison the blood” of our country, like the Grand Wizard and fascists said in the past.  But you know and I know we all bleed the same color.  In America, we’re all created equal.  (Applause.)

Extremists close the doors of opportunity; strike down affirmative action; attack the values of diversity, equality, and inclusion. 

I never thought when I was graduating in 1968 — as your honoree just was — we talked about — I never thought I’d be in — present in a time when there’s a national effort to ban books — not to write history but to erase history.  They don’t see you in the future of America.  But they’re wrong.  To me, we make history, not erase it.  We know Black history is American history.  (Applause.)  Many of you graduates don’t know me, but check my record, you’ll know what I’m saying I mean from my gut. 

And we know Black men are going to help us, lead us to the future — Black men from this class, in this university.  (Applause.)  

But, graduates, this is what we’re up against: extremist forces aligned against the meaning and message of Morehouse.  And they peddle a fiction, a caricature what being a man is about — tough talk, abusing power, bigotry.  Their idea of being a man is toxic.  I ran into them all the time when I was younger.  They got — all right, I don’t want to get started.  (Laughter.)  But that’s not you.  It’s not us.  You all know and demonstrate what it really means to be a man.  Being a man is about the strength of respect and dignity.  It’s about showing up because it’s too late if you have to ask.  It’s about giving hate no safe harbor and leaving no one behind and defending freedoms.  It’s about standing up to the abuse of power, whether physical, economic, or psychological.  It’s about knowing faith without works is dead.  (Applause.)

Look — and you’re doing the work.  Today, I look out at all you graduates and I see the next generation of Morehouse men who are doctors and researchers curing cancer; artists shaping our culture; fearless journalists and intellectuals challenging convention.  I see preachers and advocates who might even join another Morehouse man in the United States Senate.  You can clap for him.  He’s a good man.  (Applause.) 

As I said, I’m proud to have the most diverse administration in history to tap into the full talents of our nation.  I’m also proud of putting the first Black woman on the United States Supreme Court.  (Applause.)  And I have no doubt, one day a Morehouse man will be on that Court as well.  (Applause.)  You know it.

I’ve been vice president to the first Black president and become my close friend and president to the first woman vice president.  (Applause.)  Wh- — I have no idea — no doubt that a Morehouse man will be president one day, just after an AKA from Howard.  (Laughter and applause.)  She’s tough, guys.  (Laughter.)

Look, let me close with this.  I know I don’t look like I’ve been around very long.  (Laughter.)  (The President makes the sign of the cross.)  But in my career, for the first 30 years, I was told, “You’re too young, kid.”  They used to stop me from getting on the Senate elevator when I first got there, for real.  Now, I’m too old.  Whether you’re young or old, I know what endures: The strength and wisdom of faith endures.  And I hope — my hope for you is — my challenge to you is that you still keep the faith so long as you can.  That cap on your head proves you’ve earned your crown.  The question is now, 25 years from now, 50 years from now, when you’re asked to stand and address the next generation of Morehouse men, what will you say you did with that power you’ve earned?  What will you say you’ve done for your family, for your community, your country when it mattered most?  I know what we can do.  Together, we’re capable of building a democracy worthy of our dreams; a future where every — even more of your brothers and sisters can follow their dreams; a boundless future where your legacies lift us up t- — so those who follow; a bigger, brighter future that proves the American Dream is big enough for everyone to succeed.

Class of 2024, four years ago, it felt probably like Saturday.  Four years later, you made it to Sunday, to commencement, to the beginning.  And with faith and determination, you can push the sun above the horizon once more.  You can reveal a light hope — and that’s not — I’m not kidding — for yourself and for your nation.  “The prayers of a righteous man availeth much.”  A righteous man.  A good man.  A Morehouse man.  God bless you all.  We’re expecting a lot from you. Thank you.  (Applause.)

10:55 A.M. EDT

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