Ruchira Gupta went on to discuss certain promising large-scale trends in these areas. She referred to the Beijing Declaration, which made women’s rights human rights (in 1995), as well as the #metoo campaign, which has raised awareness about the problem. And in general, more countries are now embracing foreign policy positions that promote issues of concern to women.
But much more remains to be done. She argued that violence at the global scale is linked to the normalization of violence in the home and that, in conflict zones, sexual violence is more prevalent. She emphasized the need to “un-normalize” domestic and sexual violence, and the importance of not denying women their rightful place at the peace table. She also talked about the need to change sex-trafficking and prostitution laws, and shift blame away from the victims. She pointed to the positive example set by Sweden, which decriminalized prostitution while continuing to make solicitation a criminal offense.
She closed her talk by saying that combating sexual violence and violence against women, and empowering women, is directly linked to these larger global issues and promoting sustainable development. Unless these issues are addressed, she argued, the UN’s sustainable development goals will not be reached.
Here are some pictures taken at the event:
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