Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Luis Bueno, spokesman for the European Union in the Middle East and North Africa, said that the European Union has recently ratified the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence known as the "Istanbul Convention". He added, in a tweet to him on Twitter today, Saturday, that "more than 22% of women in the European Union have experienced violence from an intimate partner."
The European Union and the United Nations have embarked on a new multi-year global initiative focused on eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls, called the Spotlight Initiative.
The initiative is so named because it focuses attention on this issue, brings it into the spotlight and places it at the forefront of efforts to achieve gender equality and empower women in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The initiative provides an initial investment of 500 million euros, the main shareholder of which is the European Union. Donors and other partners are invited to join the initiative to expand its scope and benefit from it. The implementation mechanism is a multi-stakeholder trust fund managed by the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office with the support of the lead agencies of UNDP, UNFPA and UN-Women and under the supervision of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General
According to the United Nations website, globally, 750 million women and girls were married before reaching the age of 18, and at least 200 million women and girls in 30 countries underwent female genital mutilation (FGM).
Rates of girls aged 15-19 undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM) fell in 30 countries from 1 in 2 girls in 2000 to 1 in 3 girls by 2017.
Under the laws of 18 countries, a husband can prevent his wife from working; In 39 countries, females do not have equal inheritance rights with their male brothers; While 49 countries lack laws protecting women from domestic violence.
One in five females, including 19% of those between the ages of 15 and 49, has experienced physical and/or sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner in the past 12 months. However, 49 countries lack laws that specifically protect women from such violence.
And while women have made significant inroads into political office around the world, their representation in national parliaments at 23.7% is still far from par.
In 46 countries, women now account for more than 30% of parliamentary seats in at least one parliamentary chamber.
Only 52% of women who are married or in a relationship enjoy the freedom to make decisions related to sexual relations, contraceptive use, and health care.
Globally, women make up only 13% of agricultural land owners.
Women in North Africa hold one in five paid jobs in the non-agricultural sector. The percentage of women working for gain outside the agricultural sector increased from 35% in 1990 to 41% in 2015.
More than 100 countries have taken action to track specific budget allocations for gender equality.
In South Asia, a girl's risk of child marriage has decreased by more than 40% since 2000.