ICPD25 Commitment: gender-based violence

At the Nairobi Summit, we share our commitment to intensifying efforts for the full, effective and accelerated implementation and funding of the ICPD Programme of Action, Key Actions for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action of the ICPD and Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. 

FIGO will address gender-based violence and the harmful practices of child, early and forced marriages and female genital mutilation, by striving for:

Zero sexual and gender-based violence, including zero child, early and forced marriage, as well as zero female genital mutilation, in order to realize all individuals’ potential as agents of change in their society – both socially and economically.

Health services are critical for supporting survivors to heal, recover and thrive.

During FIGO World Congress in 2018 we launched FIGO’s 2018 Global Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women where we committed to undertake actions to support efforts to address the issue, recommending that FIGO National Member Societies:

• Urge their governments to implement the recommendations made by the 1994 ICPD Programme of Action and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action to adopt advocacy, legal, educational and other measures needed to make violence against women unacceptable to all individuals and groups in society and develop and implement national guidelines or protocols for providing quality health care for women experiencing violence, in line with WHO guidelines
• Ensure that violence against women is included in the curricula of all health care providers, including reproductive health, in the specialist training and in continuing education programmes for health providers
• Strengthen the availability of and access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services that include care for survivors of intimate partner violence and post-rape care
• Strengthen health systems in order to provide women-centered care and services to survivors of violence
• Ensure our National Member Societies include Violence Against Women as a regular item of their national congress, with involvement of policy makers and other relevant stakeholders
• Own and be accountable for their responsibility to identify and provide confidential and respectful care for women who are experiencing violence, including providing first-line support and assisting women in the legal prosecution of cases of sexual abuse and rape, if they wish to pursue this, by careful and sensitive documentation of the evidence in line with national reporting requirements
• Support their patients experiencing violence, including through active referrals to psychosocial support and legal services