We are happy to present to you the 5th edition of the WWSF Prevention Kit - our annual Call to Action.
Please remember that the Prevention Kit is central to the campaign “19 Days of activism for prevention of violence against children and youth, 1-19 November”. For this reason we stress that you familiarize yourself with the revised information contained in the Kit including the list of 19 themes, and especially the main theme of the year, which is “Bullying".
In addition we draw your attention to the wide array of suggested ideas for actions presented in the Kit to support and assist you in developing your own activities and events, be it at a local, national or international level. Please note that you remain completely free to focus your campaign on the theme(s) of your choice.
When Women & Girls Succeed, Everyone Benefits
A growing body of evidence demonstrates that gender equality is not only important to women and girls—it is critical to communities, economies, and societies. When women and girls are healthy and educated, their children and families prosper. Research shows that investing in women and girls has multiplier effects: Even one extra year of schooling beyond the average can increase women’s wages by about 10 percent, and a World Bank study suggests that raising the share of women with secondary education is linked to increases in economic growth.3,4 Educating women causes a ripple effect, leading to increased educational attainment across generations among both girls and boys. Women with more education have a lower chance of dying during pregnancy and childbirth and have healthier children; half of the reductions in child mortality between 1970 and 2009 can be attributed to increased educational attainment in women of reproductive age.5,6 Women’s access to quality health information and services, particularly family planning, is essential to broader economic and health development goals.7
The benefits of expanding women’s economic opportunities are equally clear. When women participate in the economy, poverty decreases and gross domestic product (GDP) grows. It is estimated that closing the gap in women’s labor force participation across OECD countries will lead to average GDP gains of 12 percent by 2030, including about 10 percent in the United States, almost 20 percent in Japan and Korea, and more than 22 percent in Italy.8 The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) forecasts that if women farmers had the same access to productive resources as men, total agricultural output would rise, and the number of hungry people in the world could be reduced by up to 150 million.9
Street children are not disposable – They have rights, too.
Geneva (12 April 2015) – Speaking for the International Day for Street Children, two United Nations human rights experts reminded States that every child matters and that there are no throw-away children. The UN Special Rapporteurs on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, and on adequate housing, Leilani Farha, called on States to invest in children working or living on the street and to guarantee their full access to rights and services, including housing, health and education.
“Abandoned, casted off, discarded, rejected and thrown out: up to 150 million children in street situations worldwide endure great deprivation and rights violations, with little to no regard given to their best interest,” the experts said. These children are escaping from poverty, inadequate housing, broken families, domestic violence, displacement, natural disasters, conflicts and wars. They take to the streets because there is simply nowhere else to go. Once on the street they suffer from discrimination and stigmatization………
Geneva Call Program Addresses ARMED NON-STATE ACTORS to Prevent Sexual Violence
Geneva Call is a neutral and impartial non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting respect by armed non-State actors (ANSAs) for international humanitarian norms in armed conflict and other situations of violence, in particular those related to the protection of civilians. http://www.genevacall.org/who-we-are/
Although sexual violence is committed by both Government Forces and Armed Non-State Actors, little is known about the specific challenges when advocating against sexual violence committed by Armed Non-State Actors (ANSA’s)
An ethnic armed group from Manipur, Northeast India, the Kuki National Organization (KNO), affirmed its policy to strictly prohibit and punish any act of sexual violence perpetrated by its members. It made its commitment concrete by signing Geneva Call’s Deed of Commitment prohibiting sexual violence and against gender discrimination on 22 March 2015. http://www.genevacall.org/new-step-sexual-violence-northeast-india/
The Working Group on Girls (WGG) is a coalition of over 80 national and international non-governmental organizations with representation at the United Nations dedicated to: promoting the human rights of the girl child in all areas and stages of her life, advancing the inclusion and status of girls, and assisting them to develop their full potential as women.
Girls’ rights play a critical role in realizing a transformative development agenda. When the rights of girls are recognized, their needs met, and their voices amplified, girls have the potential to drive change in their local communities, nations, and the world. Investing in girls is smart economics1, catalyzing sustainable development, enhancing productivity, and building more representative institutions and policies. In looking ahead to the Post-2015 Agenda, empowered girls are central to every sustainable solution.
