16 Days of Activism: Why good laws are vital to ending the sexual violence epidemic
Equality Now
Using the law to protect & promote the rights of women & girls for 30 years.
Over her lifetime, one in three women will experience physical or sexual violence — regardless of age, background, or country — which means that sexual violence impacts women and girls in epidemic proportions. Despite the pervasiveness of these crimes, laws around the world are insufficient, inconsistent, not systematically enforced, and, in some instances, even promote and perpetuate sexual violence.
One crucial pillar of our work at Equality Now focuses on working to replace laws that stigmatize victims and hinder the possibility of justice and accountability with laws that reflect the true nature of sexual violence, exclude negative stereotypes and myths, and are informed by the experiences of survivors.
With the first week of 16 Days of Activism coming to an end, here’s a round-up of our latest blogs and resources on sexual violence laws.
7 ways sexual violence laws are failing survivors around the world
Despite global commitments to combat sexual violence, legal systems across various regions continue to fall short in protecting survivors and ensuring justice. Last week we shared seven critical ways these laws are failing, perpetuating cycles of violence and discrimination.
Gaps in rape laws in Africa are enabling perpetrators to avoid punishment
Last Tuesday we released our groundbreaking report, Barriers to Justice: Rape in Africa, Law, Practice and Access to Justice. The report examines laws on rape and related enforcement practices across Africa, and assesses how these laws align—or fall short—of regional and international human rights standards, offering guidance to those jurisdictions still working to meet these standards.
This latest report from our legal experts builds on our existing analysis of sexual violence laws around the world, including in Eurasia, South Asia, and the Americas, highlighting gaps also in implementation and making actionable recommendations for reform.
Legislating sexual violence with a consent-based approach in Latin America and the Caribbean
We’ve been working with ParlAméricas to highlight the need to align legal definitions of sexual violence with international standards by centering on the lack of voluntary and free consent, rather than force or resistance, and by eliminating other discriminatory provisions. It underscores how outdated, force-based laws perpetuate harmful myths, deter reporting, and fail to protect survivors, particularly in cases involving power imbalances and/or vulnerability.
Last week we released a fact sheet ahead of our full policy brief, which will offer a more detailed analysis and in-depth legislative guidance. You can sign up to our newsletter to get the full policy brief straight to your inbox.
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Advancing a model law on technology-facilitated gender-based violence
Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) is an escalating threat that amplifies systemic inequalities and undermines women’s safety and rights. To address this issue, the Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention (MESECVI) is leading the drafting of a Model Law to Prevent, Punish, and Eradicate Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women. This initiative aims to equip the States Parties to the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence Against Women (Belém do Pará Convention) with effective legislative tools to address this rapidly evolving issue.
Equality Now is working to ensure diverse representation in the dialogues and consultations for the development of this model law. Equality Now’s legal experts are also contributing by sharing good practices and comparative experiences on guaranteeing digital rights and addressing TFGBV across different countries worldwide.
Once finalized, the Model Law will serve as a guide for States in the region to adopt legislation and public policies to combat TFGBV effectively.
Where you’ll find our staff this week:
The work to protect and promote the rights of women and girls never stops.
This week, Sofía Quiroga, Elizabeth Placido, and Monica Bayá from our team in Latin America and the Caribbean will participate in the Sixty-sixth meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, held at ECLAC Headquarters in Santiago, Chile.
We are proud to join this important dialogue on advancing gender equality in the region.
Our team in Nairobi is hosting the semi-finals and finals of the third Africa Gender Equality Moot Court Competition. Qualifying university participants will be battling it out in the continent's premier moot court competition focused on nurturing the interest of the next generation of lawyers in women’s and girls’ rights in Africa.
Participants will spotlight the legal complexities of commercial surrogacy in Africa, informed by the pressing need to address the challenges arising from the lack of comprehensive national legal frameworks governing surrogacy arrangements in Africa.
You can follow our live stream on YouTube throughout the week at:
Hear direct from our teams around the world. Last week we launched two new LinkedIn channels, Equality Now Africa and Equality Now Latin America and the Caribbean bringing you news and insights directly from Equality Now’s expert team in the regions.