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"Violence against women and girls continues unabated in every continent, country and culture.
It takes a devastating toll on women's lives, on their families, and on society as a whole. Most societies prohibit such violence - yet the reality is that too often, it is covered up or tacitly condoned". UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, 8 March 2007
![Gaza: Abandoned by her violent husband,
Hend Ahmed (43) has been forced to bring
up her four children alone. Her husband
who beat and abused her still claims the
family food rations to which she is
entitled but gives Hend nothing. A loan
from Christian Aid partner organisation
the Women's Affairs Centre helped Hend
to start her own shop "the bride of the
gulf" and provide for her family. The
Centre also helped her to get legal
advice and apply for a divorce.
"I am more confident and stronger now.
Getting divorced will really improve my
life as I will then be able to get my
own UNRWA card [food-ration card] and
won't need to buy basic food items. This
will allow me to make repairs to the
house, buy things for my children's
schooling and improve our lives."](/thefacts/imagerepository/pa/12275424708/Gaza.jpg)
Christian Aid / Sarah Malian
Gaza: Abandoned by her violent husband,
Hend Ahmed (43) has been forced to bring
up her four children alone. Her husband
who beat and abused her still claims the
family food rations to which she is
entitled but gives Hend nothing. A loan
from Christian Aid partner organisation
the Women's Affairs Centre helped Hend
to start her own shop "the bride of the
gulf" and provide for her family. The
Centre also helped her to get legal
advice and apply for a divorce.
"I am more confident and stronger now.
Getting divorced will really improve my
life as I will then be able to get my
own UNRWA card [food-ration card] and
won't need to buy basic food items. This
will allow me to make repairs to the
house, buy things for my children's
schooling and improve our lives."
REF:
Christian Aid/Felicia Webb
Afghanistan: Habibe Said Ahmed's (far
right)daughter Basire was just fifteen
when she set fire to herself, dying in
hospital five days later. She had been
raped by her father-in-law and, unable
to bear the shame, had taken her own
life. Basire's father-in-law spent only
five days in prison before bribing his
way out.
Habibe Said Ahmed now attends violence
against women workshops in the hope that
she can help protect her remaining
daughters (inset) from a similar fate.
REF:
Christian Aid / Hannah Richards
Jamaica: Occardo Phillips is training to
be a barber as part of the Male
Awareness Now project (MAN). As well as
providing training in new skills, the
MAN project works with young Jamaican
men to build their self esteem and to
challenge their preconceptions about
women's role in society. The project
aims to teach respect for women, in the
hope that this will reduce domestic
violence.
REF:
Christian Aid/Elaine Duigenan
This role-play workshop in Cambodia is
helping young adults to reflect on the
importance of responsible caring
relationships. In a society torn apart
by the brutal Khmer Rouge regime and
years of conflict, many young people
grew up without family structures, role
models and education. In such a
fractured society, it is no wonder that
violence against women, gang rape, HIV/
AIDS and drug abuse are big problems.
Workshops like these help educate young
people about sexual respect and
prevention of HIV/AIDS.
REF:
Christian Aid / Sian Curry
Guatemala: When Reyez Ramirez (36) was a
child, her father told her that women
were "worth less than shit." Now she is
learning to read and write and about
important issues such as wife-beating,
family-planning, child nutrition and
educating girls. Reyez made this foam
flower in class, so that she can look at
herself and feel proud of the way she is
blossoming.
REF:
Christian Aid / Simon Townsley
Uganda: Susan Acen (now 16) was abducted
by the Lord's Resistance Army and forced
by the rebels to walk on the skull of an
old man they had killed. Her foot was
pierced by a bone in the skull. Susan
lived with the group for a year before
making her escape.
"I still think about the old man, I
think his spirit will haunt me," she
says.
REF:
Christian Aid/Sarah Malian
Tajikistan: Ohermo Mirova is 41; she is
regularly beaten up by her violent
husband.
"When he beats me, he takes my ears and
bangs me against the wall. It feels like
there are worms in my head. Women are
beaten here. If husbands are unemployed
and there is no food in the family, they
beat their wives."
REF:
Christian Aid
Every year, 200 women are victims of "
honour code" killings in just one
governorate of northern Iraq. This means
that every other day, a woman is killed
by her husband, father or brothers, for
a real or imagined insult to the family'
s honour.
Christian Aid partners provide safe
shelters (seen here) for women at risk
of violence, in many cases saving their
lives. As well as giving practical help,
the organisations also campaign to
improve the legal rights of women and to
end the climate of impunity which allows
"honour killing" to continue.
REF:
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
