Blog by Cherrie Power and Chris Skipper-Conway, SI Melbourne (SISEAP)
Si CSW70 Delegates
Event: Halving Violence Against Women and Girls in a Decade: Prevention First
Organiser: UK and South African Government alongside UN Women and Equimundo
Date: 11 March 2026, 11.30am
Location: UN Headquarters – 405 E 45th St, New York, New York
Format: CSW70 Side Event
This high-level discussion took place during the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) and brought together government representatives, United Nations agencies, civil society leaders, and experts to examine effective strategies for preventing violence against women and girls (VAWG). The session highlighted evidence-based prevention, engagement of men and boys, legislative reform, and the importance of coordinated multi-sectoral action.
Key Participants:
Right Honourable Baroness Jacqui Smith – Minister of State for Women and Equalities (United Kingdom)
Right Honourable Baroness Harriet Harman – United Kingdom Special Envoy for Women and Girls
Esther Maluleke – Chief Director, Social Empowerment of Women, Department for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (South Africa)
Kalliopi Mingeirou – Chief of Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), UN Women
Gary Barker – President and CEO, Equimundo Centre for Masculinities and Social Justice
Violence against women and girls remains a global crisis and continues to be a major barrier to gender equality. According to the World Health Organisation, nearly one in three women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence. Panellists also highlighted the rise of technology-facilitated violence, including online harassment and image-based abuse.
Representatives from the United Kingdom explained that their Government is strengthening its national responses, declaring violence against women and girls a national emergency and introducing a ten-year strategy focused on prevention, perpetrator accountability, and survivor support. The additional impact of social media and the various online platforms, as well as the influence of the manosphere, were highlighted as compounding the issues and risks. In addition to Government, individual and NGO involvement to address the issue, employer participation is important. The overall driver needed is a change in culture.
Esther Maluleke, Chief Director, Social Empowerment of Women, Department for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (South Africa), outlined its National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence, emphasising social norm change, community engagement, and collaboration with traditional leaders and the private sector.
Evidence-based prevention was a big part of the session with successful programmes being highlighted. These included school-based life skills education in Pakistan, community initiatives engaging faith leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and parenting programmes in Rwanda that involve fathers and promote gender equality. These initiatives demonstrate the effectiveness of prevention programmes that address social norms and gender attitudes.
Baroness Harriet Harman called out that we now face a national crisis and a global issue. The rising levels of online harm were alarming, and she emphasised that it was critical that we “DO NOT LET THE CLOCK TURN BACK” to an era where “what happened behind closed doors was private and OK!”
Some of the programmes highlighted that resonated and were of interest are:
The “All In Campaign” championed by the UK Government to mobilise government, civil society, and international organisations to prevent and reduce violence against women and girls worldwide. The UK has provided support at a global level to fund and implement the campaign to address its three main goals – political commitment, prevention and evidence-based solutions, and global mobilisation.
MCCI.org, an initiative that works to identify, track and remove abusive online content relating to misogyny, online attacks against women, gender-based hate speech, and threats or intimidation of women in public life.
The “What Works Programme,” a UK-funded programme run in multiple countries, has become a major evidence base for global policy on violence prevention. In Pakistan the project used school-based learning and play-based education to change attitudes about gender and violence, where teachers were trained to deliver lessons that challenged the acceptability of violence against women and girls, promoted respectful relationships, and addressed gender stereotypes. The programme reached hundreds of thousands of children and young people in Pakistan.
Panellists all emphasised the importance of involving men and boys as partners in prevention efforts. Research presented by Gary Barker, President and CEO of Equimundo, highlighted the role of positive masculinity, bystander interventions, and community-based initiatives in reducing violence.
Despite progress, significant challenges remain, which include entrenched gender norms, economic dependence that limits women’s ability to leave abusive relationships, underreporting of violence, and insufficient funding for women’s organisations. Participants noted the difficulty of measuring progress, particularly as new forms of violence emerge online.
The session reinforced that violence against women and girls is preventable through coordinated and evidence-based approaches. Sustained political commitment, adequate funding, and strong collaboration between governments, international organisations, and civil society are essential to achieving long-term change.
