Violence against women and girls is a scar on all societies. The facts are shocking: in the EU and across the world, one in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence, including abuse, harassment, rape, sexual exploitation, genital mutilation, forced marriage and femicide. Invisible despair is what many women and girls have to live with. Protecting them and ending violence against women means more than striving for gender equality. It means fulfilling basic human rights. It means urgently bringing the perpetrators to justice.

We support the UN's Global Campaign to End Violence against Women. As co-leader of the Generation Equality Forum's Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence, we affirm our steadfast dedication to the immediate eradication of violence against women and girls, both within and beyond the European Union. We stand in solidarity with our partners, civil society, women's rights groups, and human rights defenders, echoing their demand for justice and accountability.