Opening Remarks by Deputy Secretary-General (Programmes) Tanmaya Lal at the 5th Commonwealth Women's Forum Plenary: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls, A Foundation for Commonwealth Economic Prosperity, on the margins of CHOGM 2026, on 2 November 2026.
Ending violence against women and girls is a moral duty. It is also an economic necessity. Improving the safety and security of women and girls directly contributes to greater participation of women in work, higher household incomes and savings and wider economic growth and resilience.
The awareness of the scale and magnitude of violence against women and girls, including in domestic and workplace contexts in all societies, has continued to grow in recent decades.
An area of growing concern in recent years is the exponential rise in technology-facilitated gender-based violence or online abuse in this digital age. This incidence is especially high among the age group 15-29.
National laws are indeed being strengthened. Implementation is improving. Innovative initiatives are being undertaken to curb violence against women and girls.
However, much more is still needs to be done – both through advocacy and action. There are also funding cuts to contend with.
Many of the practical steps being implemented across countries range from
Digital technology-enabled instant messaging platforms, 24x7 help lines, to installation of smart street lighting systems & cameras, better policing of target areas, use of drones, safer public spaces, emergency response systems, digital skilling of women and girls.
Countries are also establishing fast track special courts, enacting more stringent legal punishments, putting in place tracking systems for investigations, building databases of perpetrators, setting up helplines to connect to police, hospitals, legal services & psychological counselling.
The cost of inaction is high. Lost productivity, Loss of income and spending, missed days at work and school, and weaker educational outcomes. Added strain on public resources for healthcare, police and justice systems. This is especially hurting smaller developing economies.
On the other hand, improving the safety and security of women and girls directly empowers women. This translates in multiple ways into economic empowerment of women and their households, and contributes to the wider economic growth & expansion.
Women’s economic empowerment leads to both – an increase in the size of workforce and output across several sectors including manufacturing, and a positive impact on productivity. This further translates into greater investment, women entrepreneurship and even export diversification in some documented cases. Diversity and education also expand the talent pool and foster innovation and productivity of firms.
This direct link has been corroborated in multiple research studies, across countries. Therefore, the business case for acting against violence against women and girls is also clear.
The Commonwealth has long engaged on gender equality an empowerment issues, going back to early 1970s. This includes research across member countries, including on economic costs of VAWG, drafting of legislation on VAWG, advocacy campaigns, and on gender-budgeting and gender integration in NDCs.
In 2019 the Commonwealth Women Affairs Ministers proposed a Declaration and indicators on Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment, which were adopted by the Commonwealth Heads of Government in 2022.
The Commonwealth has co-led research on the health sector response to gender-based violence. And published a report on Cyberviolence against women and girls.
Governments, international organizations, law enforcement & justice systems, businesses, media and civil society must continue to work together to raise awareness, update laws and services to deal with online abuse, and explore and implement measures to end all types of violence against women and girls.
We hope that this 5th edition of the Commonwealth Women’s Forum, a platform that was established a decade ago, will facilitate a frank exchange of ideas among participants and practitioners representing the diversity of our member countries. In learning about international trends, practical steps that are leading to transformative actions.
