“Not all of us can do great
things. But we can do small things with great love.”
Vimukti Charitable Trust® Pothnal organized the program on
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in
collaboration with Ensemble Agissons, France on 25th of November at
its premises. The Resource Person highlighted saying, Violence
against women and girls is a global issue. It remains one of the
most persistent human rights violations and a threat to millions of
girls and women. Violence against women and girls knows no social,
economic or national boundaries. It affects women of all ages and
arises in various types of settings – taking many forms including
physical, sexual or psychological violence, as well as economic
abuse and exploitation. At least one out of every three women
worldwide has been beaten, coerced into sex or emotionally abused in
her lifetime, most often by a partner. As we mark the International
Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we commemorate
and renew our global commitment to ending violence against women and
other forms of gender-based violence. Violence against women remains
one of the most persistent violations of human rights across the
globe, undermining the health, dignity, security and autonomy of
women and girls. Women who have been physically or sexually abused
by their partners report higher rates of mental health issues,
including depression and anxiety, higher use of alcohol and less
control over sexual decision-making.
There is an undeniable link between violence against women and HIV.
Studies show clearly that women living with HIV are more likely to
have experienced violence, and women who have experienced violence
are more likely to be living with HIV. In some regions, women who
experience physical or sexual intimate partner violence are 1.5
times more likely to acquire HIV than women who have not experienced
violence. Among marginalized populations, a high prevalence of
violence is linked to higher rates of HIV infection, in particular
among transgender women. Violence or the fear of violence can it
make very difficult for women to insist on safer sex and to use and
benefit from HIV and sexual and reproductive health services. The
fear of intimate partner violence is also an important barrier to
the uptake of HIV testing and counselling, to the disclosure of
HIV-positive status and to treatment uptake and adherence, including
among pregnant women living with HIV. Violence against women living
with HIV also manifests in health-care settings—women have even
reported being sterilized against their will.
Fr. Sathish Fernandes VCT , Director said Violence against women
continues to be an obstacle to achieving equality, development,
peace as well as to the fulfillment of women and girls’ human
rights. All in all, the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) - to leave no one behind - cannot be fulfilled without
putting an end to violence against women and girls. The Ensemble
Agissons members namely Mr. Daniel Helbert, President, Mrs.
Bernadette, Mr. Marcel, Mrs. Lucie, Mr. Eric, Mrs. Patricia, Miss.
Swathi PGB bank secretary, Mr. Nagarathana Staff nurse and 120 women
and VCT staff participated and benefited from this program.
