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CONTACT: Will Hadden

Telephone: 703.739.5920

U.N. Women’s Abuse Campaign Mocks the Message of International Human Rights Day

WASHINGTON / December 9, 2021 – International Human Rights Day will be observed tomorrow, December 10, in countries around the world. This year’s theme is “EQUALITY – Reducing Inequalities, Advancing Human Rights” (1). Unfortunately, the UN Women’s current domestic violence campaign, which ignores the existence of male victims, represents the antithesis of the meaning of “equality” and undermines the purpose of the UN-sponsored Human Rights Day events.

UN Women launched its anti-abuse campaign on November 27 with the theme, “Orange the World: End Violence Against Women Now!” (2). A review of campaign materials reveals a singular focus on female victims, with no mention of male victims (3).

Hundreds of research studies conducted around the world confirm that domestic violence victimizes men and women in approximately equal numbers (4). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control, for example, confirms that each year 4.2 million men and 3.5 million women are victims of domestic violence (5).

In the United States, the sex-biased federal law known as the “Violence Against Women Act” has created numerous injustices and inequalities:

  1. Male victims often are refused service by domestic violence agencies and abuse hotlines (6).
  2. Even though male victims outnumber female victims, 81% of all DV arrests are of males (7).
  3. Female-perpetrated partner homicides appear to be on the rise (8).

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (9), which serves as the inspiration for International Human Rights Day, states (emphasis added):

  • Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women.
  • Article 2: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
  • Article 7: All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.

The UN Women campaign represents a clear violation of the intent and language of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

On October 27, 2021, the Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance — DAVIA — sent a letter to the UN requesting that the campaign be broadened to include all persons (10). The UN never responded to the request.

Citations:

  1. https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day
  2. https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2021-11/UNiTE-campaign-2021-concept-note-en.pdf
  3. https://www.intellectualconservative.com/articles/un-women-shakes-and-bakes-abuse-statistics-to-push-radical-feminist-agenda
  4. https://domesticviolenceresearch.org/partner-abuse-worldwide/
  5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2015 Data Brief – Updated Release, Atlanta, Georgia. 2018. Tables 9 and 11. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/2015data-brief508.pdf
  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkbZ5l4DfjQ
  7. https://endtodv.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Misconduct-and-Sex-Bias-in-Police-Response.pdf
  8. https://endtodv.org/pr/wave-of-female-perpetrated-domestic-homicides-alarm-the-nation-shatter-abuse-stereotypes/
  9. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
  10. https://endtodv.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/UN-Women-Ltr.-10.27.2021.pdf