“Violations of women’s rights take many different forms. The scale of violence against women in the world is appalling. Seventy percent of all women will experience violence at least once in their lives.
It is also horrifying that no region of the world is immune. In recent months, the media have provided vivid coverage of the abuse of women: gang rape on Tahrir Square in Cairo, an attack on a girl aged 11 in Pakistan, horrendous abuse of women in India or the widespread practice of female genital mutilation.
It is high time to improve the protection of women and guarantee their rights. In the United Nations Human Rights Council and also bilaterally, Germany is playing an active role here.
Last year, the Federal Foreign Office for example supported a project in Rwanda in which young couples were trained in preventing violence towards women with a view to them taking this information to their communities. In Russia, a partner organization trained experts to deal with domestic violence and provided advice for victims. In 2012, the Federal Foreign Office supported a campaign to increase public awareness of female genital mutilation in Djibouti. These are just a few examples of what we are doing around the world.
Education and social change on all levels are what we need to put an end to violence against women. Each and every one of us can make a difference.”