16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence: Statement of Voix EssentiELLES
As Voix EssentiELLES organizations from Senegal, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire, meeting in Abidjan from November 30, to December1st of 2022, and as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, we urgently call on African governments and leaders to undertake firm actions to tackle socio-cultural stereotypes that fuel violence against women and girls.
While most governments acknowledge gender equality and women's empowerment as key factors in the development of their countries, the social status and roles of women and girls in our societies remain very traditional. As women, we continue to assume a disproportionate share of domestic and rural work and child upbringing, and even when we are included in decision-making circles, our voices are not valued because of our gender, which unfortunately becomes an obstacle to fully expressing our leadership.
As organizations committed to achieve women's rights, we work everyday to break down religious, economic and socio-cultural barriers to enable women and girls to achieve their full potential.
Within our communities, our commitment as feminists is still misperceived. We are seen as "promiscuous women", disconnected from our culture and under the influence of Western culture. Yet, our dedication to a fairer society remains indispensable to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.
Feminicide, rape, harassment, cyber harassment, physical, verbal, and sexual aggression, early marriage, social exclusion, menstrual precariousness... These forms of violence occur on a daily basis in our communities.
In West Africa, over 40% of women are victims of physical and/or sexual violence[1]. These acts of abuse are so common that they tend to be normalized by women themselves. In Côte d'Ivoire, for instance, 34% of women believe that a husband has the right to beat his wife[2]. The proportion is 30% in Burkina Faso and 31% in Senegal. In terms of forced marriage, it is estimated that one girl under the age of 18 is married by force every two seconds in the world[3].
In addition to these forms of violence, menstrual precariousness is also a problem. We note that around 30% of women under 35 years of age are affected by menstrual precariousness, meaning lack of access to sanitary protection for economic reasons. The cultural taboo surrounding menstruation and the lack of information accentuate this precariousness among women and girls.
In our countries, women's abilities to make decisions over their bodies, sexuality and reproductive health remains extremely low. As a result, contraceptive prevalence remains very low. In Côte d'Ivoire, for example, only 21% of women have access to contraceptive tools.
Lack of information, fear of side effects, the power of men to make decisions, religious prohibitions and socio-cultural contradictions prevent women from having access to these tools, which are vital for their health. The exclusion and under-representation are even more pronounced for certain groups of women, especially those living with a disability.
In this year's 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence global campaign, we, the Voix EssentiELLES, reiterate that protecting women's and girls' rights is fundamental to sustainable development, economic growth, peace and security. We therefore call on African governments and leaders to respect their commitments to protect their citizens by eliminating all forms of inequality and discrimination against women.
Knowing that gender equality and women's and girls' empowerment are crucial for sustainable development, we call on African governments and leaders to ensure a safe socio-legal and institutional environment for women and girls to live free from female genital mutilation, early marriage, rape or any other form of sexual, physical or verbal violence.
We encourage them to maintain and strengthen their efforts to promote quality education, including sexual education, to build self-esteem and empower women and girls to defend their rights and take control of their health.
Recalling the need to invest in women's leadership and empowerment, we call for the development and financial support of women's and girls' organizations that work to amplify women's voices. These organizations are essential to creating the prosperous societies we want.
To capitalize on their potential and optimize their actions, we urge these women's and girls' organizations wherever they are, as well as all civil society organizations committed to protecting women's rights, to work together, to unite their voices and their strengths for a fairer world to which we all aspire.
Abidjan, December10th, 2022
[1] Report on gender-based violence in Africa
[2] World Bank data
[3] Early and forced marriage: what is it? Plan International
Declaration of the Essential Voices within the framework of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence campaign
We, Essential Voices from Senegal, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire, gathered in Abidjan on November 30 and December1, 2022 as part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence global campaign, urgently call on African governments and leaders to take strong action to break the socio-cultural stereotypes that fuel violence against women and girls.
Most governments recognize gender equality and women's empowerment as essential factors in the development of their countries. But in reality, the social status and role of women and girls in our societies remain very traditional.
We continue to assume a disproportionate share of domestic and rural work and child rearing. Even when we are included in decision-making circles, our voices are not valued because of our status as women, which unfortunately becomes an obstacle to the full expression of our leadership. As women's organizations working for the respect of women's rights, we work daily to remove religious, economic and socio-cultural barriers to promote the full development of women and girls.
In our circles, our commitment as feminists is still poorly perceived, some considering us as "promiscuous women", disconnected from our customs and under the influence of Western culture. Yet, our devotion to a more just society remains essential to eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls.
Feminicide, rape, harassment, cyber harassment, physical, verbal and sexual aggression, early marriage, social exclusion, menstrual insecurity... These forms of violence are daily occurrences in our communities.
In West Africa, over 40% of women are victims of physical and/or sexual violence [1]. This violence is so common that it tends to be normalized by the women themselves. In Côte d'Ivoire, for example, 34% of women believe that a husband has the right to beat his wife [2]. The proportion is 30% in Burkina Faso and 31% in Senegal. In the case of forced marriage, it is estimated that one girl under the age of 18 is forcibly married every two seconds in the world[3].
In addition to these forms of violence, we also have menstrual insecurity. Indeed, we note that approximately 30% of women under 35 years of age are concerned by menstrual insecurity, i.e. the lack of access to sanitary protection for economic reasons. The cultural taboo around menstruation and the lack of information accentuate this precariousness among women and girls.
In our countries, women's decision-making power regarding their bodies, sexuality and reproductive health remains extremely low. As a result, contraceptive prevalence remains very low. In Côte d'Ivoire, for example, only 21% of women have access to contraceptive tools.
Lack of information, fear of side effects, men's decision-making power, religious prohibitions and socio-cultural contradictions prevent women from having access to these tools that are so vital to their health. The exclusion and under-representation of women in decision-making bodies is even more pronounced for certain groups of women, particularly those living with disabilities.
On the occasion of this year's global campaign "16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence", we, Essential Voices organizations, recall that the protection of women's and girls' rights is fundamental to sustainable development, economic growth, peace and security.
We also call on African governments and leaders to respect their obligations to protect their citizens by eliminating all forms of inequality and discrimination against women.
Recognizing that gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are paramount for sustainable development, we call on African governments and leaders to ensure a safe socio-legal and institutional environment for women and girls to live free from female genital mutilation, forced marriage, rape or any other form of sexual, physical or verbal violence.
We encourage them to maintain and strengthen their efforts to promote access to quality education, including sexuality education, in order to build self-esteem and empower women and girls to defend their rights and take control of their health.
Recalling the critical need to invest in women's leadership and empowerment, we call for the development and financial support of women's and girls' organizations that work to amplify women's voices. These organizations are essential to creating the prosperous societies we desire.
In order to capitalize on their potential and optimize their actions, we urge these women's and girls' organizations, wherever they may be, as well as all civil society organizations committed to the defense of women's rights, to work together, to unite their voices and their strengths for a more just world to which we all aspire
Done in Abidjan, December 10, 2022
[1] Analytical report on the situation of violence against women and girls and the progress made in Africa
[2] World Bank data
[3] Early and forced marriage: what is it? Plan International
August 12, 2022, Dakar, Senegal - On International Youth Day, young people across the continent are urging their leaders to take more action, innovation and funding to fight malaria. In an open letter, also supported by the RBM Partnership to End Malaria and Speak Up Africa, these young people pledged to eradicate malaria and continue their fight to end the epidemic by 2030.
The African Union's target of a 40% reduction in malaria incidence and mortality by 2020, a critical step in eliminating malaria in Africa by 2030, has not been met. Indeed, WHO estimates indicate that 96% of malaria cases and 98% of malaria deaths worldwide occur in Africa. In 2020, 611,802 Africans died of malaria, 80% of whom were children under 5 years of age. In addition, revised WHO estimates in the World Malaria Report 2021 indicate that the number of malaria deaths was previously underestimated and that the burden is worse than previously thought. Malaria, although preventable and treatable, is responsible for up to $12 billion in lost productivity annually in Africa, significantly impeding economic growth and social progress.
As young people, malaria continues to plague our continent, claiming millions of lives. Despite recent progress, a child still dies of malaria every minute. The open letter is a call to action to decision makers because we, the youth, are convinced that malaria eradication is an achievable goal if we maintain decisive action.
Moses Kodah, Executive Director of Naye-Salone.
In response, the youth decided to take action. In this open letter, the youth call on African leaders to contribute to malaria eradication as part of the Agenda 2063 for socio-economic transformation. The letter calls on leaders to renew their commitment to keeping malaria high on national development agendas, mobilize additional resources (including from the domestic public and private sectors), empower communities, strengthen data and evidence-based governance, accelerate the rollout of new malaria interventions and products, actively engage young leaders, and rapidly deploy new tools to address the growing threats of insecticide and drug resistance.
Young people have the potential to end malaria for good. We have seen how young people can advocate, mobilize resources, participate, and lead the response to malaria at a time when the disease is threatening their bright future and stunting their development. Therefore, to make the right investments in malaria programs, research, and innovation and to tailor malaria interventions to save millions of lives, we must build youth ownership into the fight against this disease.
Dr. Corine Karema, Acting CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria
A decrease in funding would be disastrous for the global response, setting the stage for a sharp increase in malaria cases, and to make meaningful progress against the disease, increased funding is essential. That is why the open letter urges African leaders to fight for what matters and emphasizes the importance of a successful replenishment of the Global Fund in 2022, which aims to secure at least US$ 18 billion from world leaders to save 20 million lives and put the world back on track to eradicate HIV, TB and malaria. The Global Fund is critical to sustaining life-saving health and malaria services.
Because of the burden that women and girls continue to bear from diseases such as malaria, it is crucial that they are represented in decision-making spaces. " It is crucial to amplify the voices of young women and girls in key decision-making spaces, especially when it comes to our health and well-being. With active political participation of women and girls as well as financial support for women-led organizations, we will be the generation that can achieve the goal of ending malaria by 2030. I am fighting for what matters and will continue to do so until this epidemic is eliminated." Farida Tiemtore, President, Les Héroïnes du Faso and recipient of the Fund Essential Voices implemented by Speak Up Africa in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, with support from the Global Fund and the CHANEL Foundation.
Malaria is keeping young people, their future children and African economies from reaching their full potential, so we must all fight for what matters, and fight now.
On the occasion of International Youth Day, young people across the continent are calling upon their leaders for more sustained action, innovation, and funding to fight back against malaria. In an open letter, also supported by The RBM Partnership to End Malaria and Speak Up Africa, young people vow to be the generation to end malaria, and to not stop fighting until they end this disease as an epidemic by 2030.
The African Union goal of reducing malaria incidence and mortality by 40% by 2020, a key milestone to eliminating malaria in Africa by 2030, was missed. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, 96% of global malaria cases and 98% of malaria deaths occur on the continent. In 2020, 611,802 Africans died from this disease of which 80% were children under the age of 5. Furthermore, revised estimates by the WHO in the 2021 World Malaria Report indicate that the number of malaria deaths was previously underestimated, and the burden is worse than previously understood. Malaria is a driver for up to $12 billion in lost productivity in Africa annually, drastically impeding economic growth and societal progress despite it being preventable and treatable.
As young people we are concerned that Malaria continues to plague our continent taking millions of lives and despite recent progress, a child still dies from malaria every minute. The open letter is a call-to-action to decision makers because we, young people, believe that ending malaria is an attainable goal if we sustain decisive
Moses Kodah, Executive Director, Naye-Salone.
In response, young people have decided to take action. The open letter turns up the pressure on African leaders to achieve a malaria-free world in line with Agenda 2063 for socio-economic transformation. Calling on leaders to recommit to keeping malaria high on national development agendas, mobilize additional resources (especially from the domestic public and private sector), empower communities to act, strengthen data and evidence-based governance, accelerate the deployment of new malaria commodities and interventions, actively engage youth leaders and rapidly deploy the new tools to address the growing threats of insecticide and drug resistance.
Young people have the potential to end malaria for good. We have seen how young people can advocate, mobilize resources, participate in, and lead the malaria response as the disease threatens their bright future and holds back their development. That is why, to make the right investments in malaria programs, research, and innovation and tailor malaria interventions to save millions of lives, we must integrate youth ownership into the fight against malaria.
Dr. Corine Karema, Interim CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria
A decrease in financing would be dire for the global response, paving the way for a steep rise in malaria cases, and in order to make significant progress against the disease, an increase in financing is critical. This is why the open letter urges African Heads of States and Governments to fight for what counts and reinforces the importance of a successful replenishment of the Global Fund in 2022, which seeks to secure at least US$18 billion from global leaders to save 20 million lives and get the world back on track toward ending HIV, TB and malaria. The Global Fund is critical to sustaining life-saving malaria and health services.
Due to the burden that women and girls continue to bear as a result of diseases such as malaria, it is crucial that they are represented in decision making spaces. "It is crucial to amplify the voices of young women and girls in key decision-making spaces, especially when it comes to our health and well-being. With active political participation of women and girls and financial support for women-led organizations, we will be the generation that can achieve the goal of ending malaria by 2030. I am fighting for what matters and will continue to do so until this epidemic is eliminated." Farida Tiemtore, President, Les Héroïnes du Faso and recipient of the Essential Voices Fund implemented by Speak Up Africa in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, with the support of the Global Fund and the Fondation CHANEL.
The disease is stopping young people, their future children, and African economies from reaching their full potential, we therefore all must fight for what counts, and fight now.
It is time for action, financial commitments and a concerted response. With the 7th Replenishment Conference just weeks away, the Global Fund is sounding the alarm on the fight against HIV, TB and malaria.
Montreal - Ouagadougou - Dakar - More than 9,500 people have gathered in Montreal, Canada, from July 29 to August 2, 2022 to participate in and attend the 24th International Conference on HIV/AIDS, the first global platform for the response to the disease. Communities, people living with HIV/AIDS, policy makers, media, activists and civil society organizations are unanimous that progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS has stalled. Globally, the number of infections has stabilized at 1.5 million in 2021, the same number as in 2020. Who is to blame? The COVID-19 pandemic? Certainly, but even before it hit, the world was off track for HIV, TB, and malaria goals.
Progress in reducing the number of people newly infected with HIV is slowing. Between 2020 and 2021, the world saw the smallest annual decline in new HIV infections since 2016. In 2021, women and girls accounted for the majority of new infections in sub-Saharan Africa, and more than 3 in 4 new infections among young people are among adolescent girls and young women.
Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director
The need for action is urgent. To this end, and shortly after the opening ceremony of the HIV Conference, the Global Fund organized a satellite session on 29 July 2022 entitled "Fighting for What Matters: Maximizing Health Equity, Gender Equality and Human Rights in the Fight Against HIV". Opened by Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund, the symposium looked at the results achieved after 20 years of scaling up the Fund's programs and interventions, as well as at remaining and emerging challenges. Two panels, moderated by Maelle Ba, Strategic Communications Manager at Speak Up Africa, highlighted successful partnerships and the importance of community leadership. Farida Tiemtore, a 23-year-old activist, President of Héroïnes du Faso and recipient of the Voix EssentiELLEs Fund, also joined the discussions on the first panel, "20 Years of Impact, What Worked and Why? ", online from her native Burkina: " Faced with the urgency of eradicating HIV/AIDS, Voix EssentiELLES in Burkina is fighting for what matters by raising awareness, informing, strengthening advocacy for better prevention and response of young girls and women to the disease and I am convinced that we will succeed in eliminating it by 2030." Launched in 2021 and with 35 community-based organizations led by women in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, the Voix EssentiELLEs initiative, implemented by Speak Up Africa in partnership with the Global Fund and the CHANEL Foundation, aims to support and stimulate the impact of health policies and programs by ensuring the engagement of women and girls, in all their diversity, in decision-making spaces.
This initiative is in line with the Global Fund's new strategy "Fighting Pandemics and Building a Healthier, More Equitable World," which places people and communities at the heart of the fight against HIV, TB and malaria. In the second panel, "What are our next steps and how can we ensure we achieve the Sustainable Development Goals?", Grace Ngulube, Founder of Youth Health Connect 360 and HERVOICE Fund Ambassador for Malawi, reaffirmed the importance of a fully funded Global Fund:
The Global Fund invites us all to fight for what matters. I matter, you matter, young women matter. Now is the time to prove it. Funding the Global Fund is about showing that our lives matter. I hope that with significant funding, we can do more to address gender inequality, defend the rights of adolescent girls and young women, and ensure that girls are free of HIV.
Grace Ngulube, Founder of Youth Health Connect 360 and HERVOICE Fund Ambassador for Malawi
In 2021, the increase in the number of people on HIV treatment was the lowest in more than a decade. Although three-quarters of all HIV-positive people have access to antiretroviral treatment, about 10 million do not, and only half of HIV-positive children have access to life-saving drugs. In the same year, the AIDS epidemic was responsible for an average of one death per minute, or 650,000 AIDS-related deaths, despite the availability of effective HIV treatment and tools to prevent, detect, and treat opportunistic infections.
In addition to Peter Sands, Farida Tiemtore and Grace Ngulube, the Global Fund also gathered the views, expertise and comments of Her Excellency Stéphanie Seydoux, France's Ambassador for Global Health, Dr. Joe Phaahla, South Africa's Minister of Health, Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director, Joshua Tabah, Director General of Health and Nutrition at Global Affairs Canada, Dr. Angeli Achrekar, Senior Deputy Coordinator at the US Global HIV Program, Javier Hourcade Bellocq from the Community Delegation to the Global Fund Board, and Lindsay Glassco, President of the Global Fund. Also present were Dr. Angeli Achrekar, Senior Deputy Coordinator, Global HIV Program, United States; Javier Hourcade Bellocq of the Global Fund Board Community Delegation; and Lindsay Glassco, President and CEO of Plan International Canada.
2022 is a pivotal year and marks a turning point in the fight against HIV, TB, and malaria. While communities have shown remarkable resilience and changed their programs to ensure that people living with HIV and key populations are not left behind, their commitment and determination has clearly demonstrated the need for sustained and increased support from the Global Fund. The Global Fund has also shown remarkable flexibility, moving quickly to help countries strengthen their health systems, access emergency inputs, respond to COVID-19, and adjust their HIV, TB, and malaria programs. The future is uncertain, but the goal is clear: the Global Fund must be fully funded, with at least $18 billion for the period 2023-2025.
Either we increase funding or we give up hope of ending these epidemics by 2030
Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund
The time is for action, financial commitments and a concerted response. A few weeks before its7th Replenishment Conference, the Global Fund is sounding the alarm in the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
Montreal - Ouagadougou - Dakar - More than 9,500 people met in Montreal, Canada, from July 29 to August 2, to attend the24th International Conference on HIV/AIDS, the first global platform in terms of disease response. Communities, people living with HIV/AIDS, policymakers, media, activists and civil society organizations are unanimous: the progress made in the fight against HIV/AIDS has stalled. Globally, the number of infections stabilized at 1.5 million in 2021, the same number as in 2020. But whose at fault? The COVID-19 pandemic? Certainly, but even before it hit, the world had already strayed from the trajectory of the HIV, TB and malaria targets.
Progress in reducing the number of people newly infected with HIV is slowing down. Between 2020 and 2021, the world has seen the smallest annual decline in new HIV infections since 2016. In 2021, women and girls accounted for the majority of new infections in sub-Saharan Africa and more than 3 in 4 new infections among young people concern adolescent girls and young women.
Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS.
We need to act, now. To this end, and shortly after the opening ceremony of the HIV Conference, the Global Fund organized a satellite session on July 29, 2022 entitled "Fighting for what counts: maximizing health equity, gender equality and human rights in the fight against HIV". Opened by Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund, this symposium looked back on the results obtained after 20 years of scaling up the Fund's programs and interventions, but also on the remaining and emerging challenges. Two panels, moderated by Maelle Ba, Speak Up Africa's Strategic Communications Manager, highlighted successful partnerships but also the importance of community leadership. Farida Tiemtore, a 23-year-old young activist, President of "Les Héroïnes Faso" and recipient of the Voix EssentiELLES' Fund, remotely joined the first panel "20 years of impact, what worked and why?" : " Faced with the urgency of eradicating HIV/AIDS, the Voix EssentiELLEs of Burkina fight for what counts by raising awareness, informing, strengthening advocacy for better prevention and response of young girls and women facing the disease and I am convinced that we will end it by 2030. Launched in 2021 and strong of 35 community-based women-led organizations in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and in Senegal, the Voix EssentiELLEs initiative, implemented by Speak Up Africa in partnership with the Global Fund and the CHANEL Foundation, aims to support and stimulate the impact of health policies and programs by ensuring the commitment of women and girls, in all their diversity, in decision-making spaces.
This initiative is in line with the Global Fund's new strategy "Fighting pandemics and building a healthier and more equitable world," which puts people and communities at the heart of the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. During the second panel "What are our next steps and how can we ensure we achieve the Sustainable Development Goals?" Grace Ngulube, Founder of Youth Health Connect 360 and HERVOICE Fund Ambassador for Malawi reaffirmed the importance of a fully funded Global Fund:
The Global Fund invites us all to fight for what counts. I count, you count, young women count. Now is the time to prove it. Financing the Global Fund is showing that our lives are valued. I hope that with significant funding, we can do more to address gender inequalities, uphold the rights of adolescent girls and young women, and ensure that girls are free from HIV.
Grace Ngulube, Founder of Youth Health Connect 360 and HERVOICE Fund Ambassador for Malawi
In 2021, the increase in the number of people on HIV treatment was the lowest in more than a decade. Although three-quarters of all HIV-positive people have access to antiretroviral treatment, about 10 million others do not, and only half of HIV-positive children have access to life-saving drugs. In the same year, the AIDS epidemic was responsible for an average of one death per minute, or 650,000 AIDS deaths despite the existence of effective treatment for HIV and tools to prevent, detect and treat HIV infections.
Around Peter Sands, Farida Tiemtore and Grace Ngulube, the Global Fund brought together the opinions, expertise and comments of Her Excellency Stéphanie Seydoux, Ambassador for Global Health of France, Dr. Joe Phaahla, Minister of Health of South Africa, Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, Joshua Tabah, Director General of Health and Nutrition at Global Affairs of Canada Angeli Achrekar, Principal Deputy U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Javier Hourcade Bellocq from the Communities Delegation of the Global Fund's Board and finally Lindsay Glassco, President and CEO of Plan International Canada.
2022 is a crucial year and marks a turning point in the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. While communities have shown remarkable resilience and changed their programs to ensure that people living with HIV and key populations are not left behind, their commitment and determination has clearly shown how sustained and increased support from the Global Fund is needed. The Global Fund has also shown remarkable flexibility and moved quickly to help countries strengthen their health systems, access emergency supplies, respond to COVID-19 and adjust their HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis programs. The future is uncertain but the goal is clear: the Global Fund must be fully funded, with at least $18 billion for the period 2023-2025.
Either we increase funding or we give up hope of ending these epidemics by 2030
Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund