Publications - Released in 2015
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) occurs in the family, the community, society and across borders. It takes many forms, from domestic violence, trafficking and rape – in urban and rural areas, in refugee camps and as a tactic of war – to harmful practices such as child and forced marriage, "honour" killings, dowryrelated violence and prenatal sex selection.
In addition to the severe and multiple physical, sexual and psychological impacts on women and girls themselves, VAWG also harms families and communities across generations and carries significant economic costs. Violence can also limit women's ability to protect themselves from HIV, while women living with HIV/AIDS are often the target of abuse, stigma and discrimination. An expression of unequal gender power relations and men’s domination and control over women, VAWG is both a manifestation of gender discrimination and inequality and a tool with which such discrimination is perpetuated.
The UNiTE campaign calls on all governments, civil society, women's organizations, men and
boys, young people, the private sector, the media, and the whole UN System to come together in
addressing the endemic violence committed against women and girls around the world.