Together we can end violence against children and violence against women in East Asia and the Pacific

[Joint Statement by UN Women, UNICEF and UNFPA]

By: Björn Andersson, Karin Hulshof and Mohammad Naciri

Earlier this year, as containment measures were imposed across Asia-Pacific in response to COVID-19, a shadowpandemic spread – domestic violence against women and children.

Women and children found themselves trapped in situations of harm, confined in the same space as their abusers,isolated from peer support and cut off from services. Just as needs grew, services, including shelters, faced severedisruption.

The crisis exposed the significant and persistent gaps in prevention and response services regionwide. As thesocio-economic devastation of the pandemic worsens, unaddressed, these gaps will only further exacerbate thevulnerable situation of millions of children and women.

There is a growing recognition that action on violence against children (VAC) and violence against women (VAW) has tobe taken together – and urgently.

The impact of violence against women and children can be far reaching and severe

VAC and VAW have long been among the most widespread human rights abuses globally. One third of women worldwide -nearly 1 billion - will experience some form of violence during their lifetime and one billion children suffer someform of violence every year ^[i].

The consequences of VAW^[ii] and VAC^[iii] are far-reaching and severe. Violence can cause health and social harm, withenormous cost to individual victims/survivors – placing a considerable burden on health, justice and socialwelfare systems – and to their families, communities and national economies. Failing to effectively tackle itwill constrain national development and prevent the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, alreadyjeopardised by the impacts of COVID-19.

Violence against women and children are linked

These harms share risk factors, including a lack of responsive institutions and weak legal actions against violence.As well, they share social norms that condone violent discipline, promote toxic masculinity, prioritize familyreputation and blame victims – all of which perpetuate gender inequality.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and VAC often co-occur in the home^[iv]. Evidence indicates that children inhouseholds affected by IPV are more likely than other children to experience violent discipline by both male andfemale caregivers^[v]. Further, witnessing IPV is in itself a form of emotional violence, with long-term health andsocial consequences similar to the impact of direct abuse^[vi].

Adolescent girls are at heightened risk

Girls, especially adolescents, are at risk of violence against children and women. They can directly experience IPVfrom husbands and romantic partners. IPV is significantly correlated with lower age of first union and unintendedpregnancy^[vii]. Despite their heightened risk, adolescent girls often fall through the gaps of prevention andresponse programming on VAC and VAW.

Violence against children and women has an intergenerational impact

Adults who experienced physical, sexual and emotional abuse as children are far more likely to be involved ininterpersonal violence - women are 16 times more likely to be a survivor of IPV and men are 14 times more likely tobe a perpetrator^[x].

Girls and boys who were exposed to IPV are also more likely to use harsh parenting against their own children who inturn are at risk of carrying on the pattern, thus perpetuating the intergenerational cycle of violence against womenand children.

Breaking the cycle — together

Knowledge of shared risk factors and social norms, emerging evidence of the effectiveness of coordinated approachesfor prevention, and common pathways for response help pave the way for effective action between sectors working onVAW and VAC.

Today, the Regional Offices of UNFPA, UN Women and UNICEF are launching a joint study exploring and clearlyillustrating the interlinkages between VAW and VAC in four countries - Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippinesand Viet Nam.

Building on this, we are committing to strengthen ongoing collaboration to tackle violence against women andchildren. We are also calling on all actors working to end these violations to join hands for prevention, responseand evidence generation. With insufficient resources available to tackle violence, working together is not an option– it is an imperative.

Let us urgently and collectively shine a spotlight so that violence does not stay in the shadows. Together, we canmake the world a better place for millions of children and women.