Latest content: Social development

To mark Human Rights Day, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland writes about the need for legislation and policies to ensure that wherever possible girls remain in school. Girls generally experience more barriers to education than their male counterparts, and this has been exacerbated yet further by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Violence against women and girls is pervasive. The Pacific is not immune, with prevalence rates of violence against women and girls in most of the region’s countries much higher than the global average of 35 per cent.

The Commonwealth advocates sport as a vehicle for development and peacebuilding. Given its popularity and unequivocal prominence in the rich tapestry of the Commonwealth’s heritage, sport has huge potential to drive social change – and accelerate gender equality – across member states.

Gender-based violence is prevalent throughout the Commonwealth. It impacts the social, economic and psychological wellbeing of individuals and communities. Violence against women and girls in particular is usually underreported.

Workplace harassment is an epidemic that blights the lives of women and girls around the world in formal and informal ‘workplace’ spheres. It is used to discriminate against or violate the human rights of over half of the world’s population.

Although often overlooked, there is a stark gender dynamic to terrorism and violent extremism. In 2018, Commonwealth Heads of Government encouraged the active involvement of women in finding solutions to violent extremism.

The first instinct of women planning to escape violence is to reach the police and justice system for protection. As they take the brave step to report, often they are met with a failing system.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has pledged concerted and continuous action to protect the rights and needs of people with disabilities. 

If you are a woman and want to work or operate on an equal footing with men, it is almost certain the laws in your country will hinder your right to do so.

Despite the regulation of international laws and national efforts to prevent and deal with family violence, women in New Zealand remain at risk in their homes. This changed in April 2019 when the New Zealand parliament became the first in the Commonwealth to pass national legislation granting victims of domestic violence 10 days of paid leave.

Today, people across the globe will pause to focus on one of the most persistent and vicious epidemics in our history: AIDS. Three letters that have caused unprecedented suffering and loss across generations and around our world.  

Beyond the immediate human impact, violence against women and girls also costs billions of dollars a year, be it in lost work, damaged children, hospital fees or police time. The global cost of violence against women and girls was estimated at $1.5 trillion in 2016 – making everyone across the world at least $200 poorer that year.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, it was clear that the pandemic was not only a health crisis but also an economic threat. Little did we know that the impact of COVID-19 containment measures and economic pressures would be felt across communities with violence in the homes, particularly against women, rising at an alarming rate.

Today, many women and girls are trapped in cycles of abuse, struggling to find an escape route. This is a tragedy, not just for them personally, but for the whole of society.

Violence against women and girls is a global epidemic, yet one of the least talked-about barriers to climate action.

A key indicator of progress towards the UN’s sustainable development goal five: Gender Equality measures the number of women in leadership. In the lead up to the 2030 deadline for this target, we must see those numbers surge in the political sphere.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is observed on 25 November every year. It launches 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence until Human Rights Day on 10 December.

Health advocates, cancer survivors and celebrities have joined the Commonwealth’s campaign to eradicate cervical cancer in its 54 countries. 

The Commonwealth will lead a global movement this week aimed at urging countries to make an ambitious plan to eliminate the most preventable cancers.

Isaac Folorunso Adewole, a former Nigerian Minister of Health and professor of gynaecology and obstetrics, writes about the Commonwealth working together to change the narrative on cervical cancer.

Young people around the world are waking up to a growing list of new and harsh realities. Trapped in the shadow of a relentless pandemic, many are being robbed of the usual opportunities of youth and denied even the chance to socialise with friends and family.

A leading advocate and champion of the Commonwealth's work to end violence against women and girls has won a prestigious UN award.