‘Government must increase funding to end violence against Women’ – Ritchie
SDLP MP for South Down, Margaret Ritchie, has tabled an Early Day Motion supporting Action Aid’s Fearless campaign, which calls on the Government to dedicate further funding to women’s rights organisations to enable them to work to end violence against women and girls.
Speaking to Newry Times, Ritchie said, “The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals has set a target for the elimination of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in relation to its wider goal of gender equality.
“VAWG remains one of the most widespread violations of human rights and a third of all women and girls will face some form of violence in their lifetime. Violence renders women vulnerable and migrant women, LGBTI women and women living in poverty are at a greater risk of experiencing violence.
“The damage caused by physical and sexual violence against women is not confined to the individuals alone; their dependents, their communities and our society as a whole suffers when violence against women persists,” she insisted.
“Sustainable Target Goal 5.2 now sets an official target to end VAWG. In recognising the critical role played by women’s rights organisations in meeting this target, Action Aid have called on the Government to increase its funding to these groups.
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“Currently, they are chronically underfunded, receiving less than 1 per cent of the UK aid money set aside for achieving gender equality.
Ritchie added, “I am very supportive of Action Aid’s calls on the Government to dedicate a further £70 million from the existing aid budget to women’s rights organisations to enable them to carry out the vital work they do to end VAWG.”
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