(NEW YORK, 25 September 2008)—Senior religious leaders of different faiths from Religions for Peace today pledged to help stop violence against women.  They recognize this commitment as a moral imperative rooted in their respective religious traditions.  

The religious leaders from Africa, Asia, and North America—representing such diverse faiths as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism and Islam—stood together to address one of  the most pervasive human rights violations in the world today, violence against women. The religious leaders expressed support for the goals of the “Say NO to Violence Against Women Campaign” (www.saynotoviolence.org) being advanced by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). This campaign is aligned with the UN Secretary-General’s multi-year, system-wide global campaign Unite to end violence against women.

Today marked the launch of a new partnership between Religions for Peace and UNIFEM that will work to engage communities of faith around the world to lead efforts to end violence against women.

“People of faith around the world believe that it is a moral responsibility to end violence against women,” said Dr. William F. Vendley, Religions for Peace Secretary General.” While religious traditions vary, it is clear that religious men and women around the world are increasingly convinced that their respective traditions call them to work as partners to end this violence.”  Dr. Vendley also underlined the irreplaceable role of women as front-line agents in efforts to end extreme poverty.   “Ending violence against women is both a moral imperative and one of the single most import ways to help end extreme poverty by achieving the Millennium Development Goals.”

“Violence against women and girls is a crime and an internationally recognized human rights violation—stopping it is one of the great challenges of our time,” said UNIFEM Executive Director Inés Alberdi. “Engaging religious leaders and communities of faith is essential to weaving a fabric of equality and respect for all persons, their potential, and their right to live a life free from violence.”

His Grace John O. Onaiyekan, Roman Catholic Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Abuja, Nigeria, and Co-President, Religions for Peace said, “All of the major religious traditions cherish human dignity as a sacred right, and violence against women and girls is robbing people of this right each day. As people of faith, we must listen to survivors’ voices and help break the silence about all forms of gender-based violence.”

Dr. Vinu Aram, Director of  Shanti Ashram, a well-known Gandhian institution in India, and Vice-Moderator of  Religions for Peace said, “Violence against women and girls is disturbingly related to increasing rates of HIV/AIDS infection in women and girls around the world. As people of faith, we must respond with compassion and urgency to end violence against women and its links to HIV/AIDS.”

H.E. Dr. Din Syamsuddin, Secretary General of the Indonesian Council of Ulama and Honorary President, Religions for Peace said, “Religious leaders and communities of faith have the power to break the silence about all forms of violcence against women and girls and put an end to unnecessary suffering.”

Ven. Dr. Grace Chung Lee, President, Won Buddhist International in Korea and World Council Member of Religions for Peace said, “For too long, religious leaders and individual people of faith have been silent as before the facts of violence against women.  It time to break the silence and act.  All people of faith are called to say NO to violence against women and girls.”

Violence against women and girls is a problem of pandemic proportions. Worldwide, on average, about one in three women are  beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused during her lifetime—with the abuser all too
often someone she knows. However, there has been significant progress in the last two decades. Some 89 countries now have specific legislation on domestic violence and a growing number of countries have instituted national plans of action.  

The Religions for Peace-UNIFEM partnership will stimulate awareness, reflection, and provide concrete opportunities to affirm values of equality, harmony, and respectful treatment for girls and women.   It will work nationally and locally to engage cooperation among men and boy and women and girls to work together to stop violence against women and girls; focus on prevention and care for survivors in their communities; and nurture communities where women and girls can live free from violence.

Religions for Peace is the world’s largest and most representative multi-religious coalition advancing common action for peace since 1970. Headquartered in New York and accredited to the United Nations, Religions for Peace works through a Global Women of Faith Network, affiliated inter-religious councils in 70 countries in six continents and a Global Inter-Religious Youth Network.

UNIFEM  is the women’s fund at the United Nations. It provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies to foster women's empowerment and gender equality. Placing the advancement of women's human rights at the centre of all of its efforts, UNIFEM focuses its activities on reducing feminized poverty; ending violence against women; reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS among women and girls; and achieving gender equality in democratic governance in times of peace as well as war.

For more information, visit www.unifem.org.

[Photos of the event are available on request; please contact oisika.chakrabarti@unifem.org]