Voices Against Violence

Women and children are disproportionately affected by war. Rape is used as a weapon to terrorise and humiliate women and destabilise whole communities. Unfortunately, gender based violence doesn’t end when the war does, it all too often remains high, as the frustrations and anger of a society are taken out on women.

Right now in one province of Democratic Republic of Congo, 40 women are being raped every day. In northern Uganda, women’s rights activists recently told CARE Campaigns Manager, Lee Webster, about devastating levels of domestic violence and sexual assault, even after peace accords ended years of brutal conflict.

To stop the violence, both national governments and the international community need to act.

The UK government is a large donor to many countries in conflict, and CARE calls upon the Foreign Secretary to ensure that tackling violence against women in conflict zones is at the centre of the government's foreign policy.

CARE, along with other organisations working on violence against women and gender equality, is calling for a Minister with responsibility for International Violence Against Women.  This position would:

• Contribute to the Coalition Government’s commitment to tackling violence against women and girls as a priority foreign policy issue.

• Provide a dedicated resource, co-ordinating the work of the Department of International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the Ministry of Defence.

• Create an accountability mechanism for the UK to track delivery on targets on eliminating violence against women and girls.

Click here to take action, and send a message to William Hague.