Violence Against Women

Violence against women (VAW) remains a global crisis. Worldwide, more than one in three women have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.

OECD governments increasingly prioritise this issue as a crucial front in the battle for gender equality: 21 of the 37 governments adhering to the OECD Gender Recommendation identified violence against women as one of the three most urgent policy challenges for gender equality in their countries in 2016. And the OECD has been called on to support countries in providing an integrated, cross-Ministerial and state-wide response towards violence against women through its Gender Mainstreaming Strategy and Action Plan.

The OECD stands ready to address this global challenge. The time to act is now.

• OECD High-Level Conference on Ending Violence Against Women (5-6 Feb 2020)

On 5-6 February, the OECD organised its inaugural conference on intimate partner violence, featuring panel discussions with OECD Ministers, leaders from business and civil society, and expert researchers. A key output of the event was the Call to Action, signed by Ambassadors to the OECD, calling for the OECD’s continued focus on ending this global crisis.