PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPEMENT AGENDA (10 April 2016)

That this House is deeply concerned that violence against women and girls (VAWG) is one of the most widespread violations of human rights and that a third of all women and girls will face violence in their lifetime; notes the detrimental impact that VAWG has on individual women, their dependents, their communities and society as a whole; further notes that women in minority groups, such as LGBTI women and migrant women, and women living in poverty are at a particular risk of experiencing violence; welcomes the Sustainable Target Goal (STG) 5.2, which set a target for the elimination of VAWG in the context of the overall goal of gender equality; recognises the vital role that women’s rights organisations play in meeting the targets specified by STG 5.2 and in ending gender discrimination more widely; regrets that women’s rights organisations currently receive less than one per cent of the UK aid money for gender equality; supports Action Aid’s Fearless campaign, which calls on the Government to dedicate a further £70 million from the existing aid budget to women’s rights organisations by 2019; and urges the Government to commit to providing these additional funds to women’s rights organisations to enable them to work to end VAWG.

Sponsored by:
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour)