According to Beit Ruth for Young Women and Girls At Risk, in Israel, 40% of women ages 16 to 48 have suffered partner violence. Globally, 243 million women and girls aged 15 to 49 have been subjected to sexual and/or physical violence perpetrated by an intimate partner in the previous 12 months.
Since the pandemic, domestic violence against women and girls around the world has increased dramatically. This concerning trend is why, on November 18, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV), The Golda Meir MASHAV Carmel International Training Center (MCTC) and Beit Ruth virtually brought together more than 450 people (Zoom and Facebook) people from the United States, Israel, Kenya, Taiwan, Myanmar, Switzerland, and other countries to discuss “Girls & Women At Risk of Violence: The Global Challenge and Israel’s Experience.” The panel aimed to illuminate on-the-ground programs and services for girls at-risk and the work of leaders on the international stage.
During the event, attendees heard from Israeli Ambassador Eynat Shlein and Ronit Lev-Ari, the latter of whom is a pioneer in the field of violence against women and served under two prime ministers as the Israeli government’s foremost authority on women’s issues.
“Working with partners whose mission aligns with ours will help strengthen social change efforts in Israel and around the world as it relates to breaking the cycle of violence for young women and girls,” said Danielle Burenstein, Beit Ruth’s executive director and the panel’s moderator. “This is an opportunity to pair content experts in domestic violence with government partners that have far-reaching platforms. The response to this event demonstrates the breadth of this issue around the world.”
Beit Ruth provides critical on-the-ground programs and services to girls ages 13 to 18, who have been removed from their homes by court order due to physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Beit Ruth’s advocacy also shapes policy, provides an understanding of needed resources, mobilizes stakeholders, and creates partnerships with community, state and international leaders. Their ultimate goal is to end the cycle of violence.
MASHAV focuses its efforts on empowering “governments, communities and individuals to improve their own lives.” The MCTC was founded by MASHAV to conduct training activities and provide socioeconomic services with an emphasis on gender equality.
Hava Karrie, director of the MCTC, said that one out of every three women has been abused in their lifetime. In Israel, that demographic has increased by 20% in the last year. Karrie works with the MCTC to provide training to judges, prosecutors, social and healthcare workers and NGOs in more than 170 countries so they can fight for women’s safety and gender equality.
Karrie said sexual, physical and mental abuse is fought through programs that lift women and girls out of those traumatic situations. MASHAV sets up hotlines and shelters around the world and fights to change social norms and legislation that harm women. This includes female genital mutilation, forced marriage, marital rape, child marriage and sex trafficking, to name a few.
“In many countries [these types of abuse] are widely tolerated and law is rarely enforced,” she said. “No one should be left behind and no human right ignored.”
Justice Angelina Atabong is sub-director of the Department of Human Rights and International Cooperation of the Ministry of Justice in Cameroon. She participated in MASHAV’s training program focused on violence against women. Atabong has been active in fighting for women’s rights in Africa and told the November 18 panel that violence against women takes on many forms, and it is up to all leaders and communities to find the signs of abuse and play an active role in stopping it.
“If we have to tackle violence against women effectively, we have to look for the root cause,” Atabong said, adding that with proper resources, education and materials, women and men can feel safer and stronger in their communities.
The November 18 panel ran in anticipation of November 25, the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Susan Ashner, Beit Ruth’s founder and board chair, said, “We want to spread the incubator of ideas and solutions that can benefit girls and young women around the world. We need to.”
Ronit Lev Ari, Beit Ruth director of advocacy & outreach and special projects, has been working in the field of violence for more than 40 years. She said violence against women in the home is the most hidden crime in the world. She said communities must acknowledge sexual, psychological and mental assault against women and girls. Lev-Ari — who works with schools, lawyers and police officers in various communities — said the problem must also be acknowledged for boys.
“Boys are sexually abused, too and it is the biggest taboo all over the world,” she said. “We need to talk about… working with young boys and men about expressing their feelings. Violent men are weak men.”
At the end of the panel, Karrie added that although some countries have more resources than others, the issues are still the same, which is why women around the world need to work together to ensure violence stops.
“Maybe in Israel, we have more resources, and we show these resources to participants, but our problems are the same,” Karrie said. “We all need to tackle the cultural norms, the problems. Teaching boys at an early age that being a man means being respectful to women. The word ‘macho’ needs to be changed in all of our societies.”
Watch the full panel event below:
