NEW YORK, NEW YORK, March 18, 2018 — During the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, Together for Girls, Women Deliver and Girl Up hosted “Violence Knows No Borders.” Convening global leaders and youth advocates, the event highlighted the latest evidence-based and youth-led solutions in violence prevention and response.
The Honourable Maryam Monsef, the Minister of Status of Women for Canada, gave a powerful keynote address about the impact that stories from survivors can have on creating a movement. Dr. Daniela Ligiero added that data is another necessary tool in telling the story of violence.
Speakers included Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA; Katja Iversen, CEO of Women Deliver; Dr. Howard Taylor, Executive Director of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children; Nahla Valji, Senior Gender Advisor to the UN Secretary-General; Dr. Karlee Silver, Vice President of Programs for Grand Challenges Canada and Dr. Anju Malhotra, Principal Adviser, Gender and Development, UNICEF. They discussed a myriad of issues, including new methods to break through silos and collaborate across sectors as well as how to continue the momentum of the #MeToo movement.
Youth activists also shared youth-led solutions to ending violence, including Women Deliver Young Leaders Elizabeth Amondi Okumu and Ala Oueslati; Girl Up Youth Advocate Munira Alimire; PMNCH Adolescent and Youth Constituency Member Rhea Chawla.
Additionally, the event featured Stephanie Sinclair, journalist and founder of Too Young to Wed, who interviewed Ya Kaka and Hauwa, two adolescent Nigerian girls who survived kidnapping from Boko Haram.
The “Violence Knows No Borders” event was created in collaboration with the Government of Canada, Grand Challenges Canada, Too Young to Wed, The Partnership for Maternal, Child and Newborn Health, the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children, the Spotlight Initiative and Deliver for Good.
Learn more about the event by viewing the Storify synopsis or by checking out photo from the event on Facebook.
About Together for Girls
Together for Girls is a global partnership working to end violence against children and adolescents, particularly sexual violence against girls. The partnership brings together more than 20 national governments, civil society organizations, UN entities, development partners, and the private sector to improve violence prevention, healing and justice. Together for Girls uses an innovative model of data, advocacy and action to drive lasting change and create a safer world for all.
