Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall, and First Lady Jeannette Kagame, among other dignitaries, on Thursday June 23, attended an event to discuss guidelines that can help reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the 54 Commonwealth member countries.
The meeting was one of the sessions organized on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that is underway in Kigali.
Camilla and her husband, Prince Charles arrived in the country on Wednesday.
One in three women and one in six men have experienced domestic or sexual violence in their lifetime, according to research.
During the pandemic the number of calls to domestic violence helplines upped by up to 500 percent across Commonwealth countries, demonstrating how the pandemic escalated and intensified domestic and sexual violence.
First Lady Jeannette Kagameaddresses the event to discuss guidelines that can help reduce violence against women and girls , on Thursday June 23.Courtesy
Consequently, the Sustainable Development Goals on gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls cannot be met by 2030 unless violence against women and girls is effectively addressed now.
In this light, the Commonwealth's and the NO MORE foundation's new recommended "Whole System Approach" strategy aims to help end VAWG and improve gender equality.
It also calls for better consistency and effectiveness in collaboration among governments, civil society, and the private sector.
The effort builds on the Commonwealth NO MORE initiative, which was launched in 2019, and comes at a critical time in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic's dramatic increase in domestic and sexual violence.
Strength in unity
"In the strength of our unity, we, the women and men of the Commonwealth, stand with victims and survivors, who, despite the temptation to hide away in silence, speak up so that others know they aren’t alone, whether in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Pacific or the Caribbean and Americas,” said the Duchess of Cornwall.
"In doing so, we have the opportunity to end gender-based violence and laws and practices that discriminate against women. Each one of us must take personal responsibility not to let this opportunity be lost,” she added.
Commonwealth Secretary General, Patricia Scotland also spoke about the devastating effects VAWG can have on survivors and their families.
"It carries a profoundly negative impact on women and girls’ participation in education, employment and civic life and undermines poverty reduction. It results in lost employment and productivity, and it drains resources from social services, the justice system, health-care agencies and employers," she said, adding that these were some of the reasons that made tackling violence against women such a central part of her life.
A panel, moderated by Ghanaian actress Joselyn Dumas, discussed several topics related to VAWG including the impact on mental health, the importance of engaging men and boys to be part of the solution and discussed the Commonwealth’s facilitators guide to assess the economic costs of VAWG.
"Each of us can be a leader, each of us can make change. By working together, listening to each other, and inspiring each other, we can move forward with even greater determination to make sure everywhere in the world is safe for women, and nowhere is safe for those who commit violence against women,” Scotland said.
First Lady commended the contribution and efforts of those who take at heart to end gender based violence. "How long again must we wait before we act? One more day long may be too late,” she said.
Other high-level speakers included UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, First Lady of Sierra Leone Fatima Maada Bio, the President of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid, and Global CEO of The NO MORE Foundation Pamela Zaballa, among others.