Violence Against Women Kills Thousands Worldwide

November 25 marks the International day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. On this occasion, the United Nations wrote on its website: “Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today.”

Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched on Saturday to mark this day, especially in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Russia and Latin America.

In recent weeks, anger has escalated over the violence committed against women, a phenomenon that has been ignored or underestimated. According to UN figures, 87,000 women were killed worldwide in 2017, half of them by relatives.

The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Monday asked the Kabul government to make efforts to stop widespread violence against women.

In France, at least 117 women were killed in 2019 by their partners or former partners, according to AFP. Therefore, the French prime minister promised to allocate 360 million euros next year to combat violence against women.

So, Several countries reaffirmed and renewed their determination to combat violence against women.

In South Africa, where a woman is killed every three hours, President Cyril Ramaphosa launched an emergency plan worth more than 1.5 billion rand (100 million euros).

To confront clandestine abuse that has reached alarming proportions in recent years, recording a 34.5 percent increase between 2014 and 2018, Greek police announced the launch of a special service involving jurists, sociologists and psychiatrists.

In Spain, tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza and Bilbao. Spain is a leading country in combating crimes against women. In 2004, it adopted a law against this form of violence, followed by a national charter passed in 2017.

In Argentina, with a population of 44 million and 229 crimes against women from January to October, hundreds of women demonstrated in Buenos Aires.

In Mexico, thousands of women demonstrated and clashed with police.

In Russia, where domestic violence was decriminalized in 2017, about 1,000 people demonstrated on Monday evening in Moscow.

In Turkey, police forcibly dispersed, with tear gas and rubber bullets, thousands of protesters, mostly women, gathered in Istanbul to demand an end to "impunity" for perpetrators of violence against women.

According to statistics from the European Union, Germany topped the countries where women were subjected to physical violence, with more than 30,000 cases, more than 25,000 cases of sexual assault and about 7,000 rape cases; followed by France, Sweden and Belgium.

Moreover, one out of three women is subjected to physical or sexual violence during their lifetime, according to data from the International Organization.

Certainly, Egypt had a great role in supporting women and was able to achieve good results. In Egypt, women have served in important positions serving as a judge, a minister, a governor, and an ambassador as well.