Victory for women’s rights activists

Lee Webster is Campaigns Manager for CARE International UK. She runs CARE’s Voices Against Violence campaign, which calls for an end to violence against women in conflict.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25th November) is a bit of a mouthful to say, and not too catchy on a placard! But it is nevertheless an important date in the calendar of women’s rights campaigners. This year was no exception, with a range of talks, government launches and feminist-led events.The government got in on the action, with the announcement of Lynne Featherstone MP as the new Champion on International Violence Against Women. This was a major milestone in a campaign by CARE International, Action Aid, One World Action and our supporters in the UK. Through the summer months, campaigners signed petitions, wrote to their MPs, engaged local press and left voice messages for William Hague – and the government listened.

The path ahead is however not rosy for Ms Featherstone, tackling a global pandemic is an uphill struggle! Violence against women is the most pervasive human rights issue of all – worldwide 1 in 3 women will be beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. Women who live in conflict zones are particularly prone to violence – rape is used as a weapon to terrorise women and destabilise whole communities. In July this year, over 500 women were raped by armed groups in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo, in one of the most horrific examples of violence against women in recent history.

At CARE we welcome the announcement of Lynne Featherstone’s new post, and congratulate her on her appointment. Yet we remain concerned that her post lacks the authority and resources it needs to drive forward an agenda for change. To do this she needs a seat at the table of the National Security Council, vital for influencing at top levels. She needs to be given a mandate to co-ordinate the work of the Foreign Office, the Department for International Development, and the Ministry of Defence, to ensure that tackling violence against women is at the heart of all UK foreign policy.

So there’s no time to lay down the placards – now is the time for action. CARE and One World Action have set up a petition urging the government to ensure that the new Champion can do her job effectively. Without this, the UK government will be failing in its duty to protect women.

Please sign the petition today – it will take two minutes of your time. Campaigning brought about the announcement of the Champion in the first place. And it is through campaigning that we can make sure she has the resources to do her job effectively.