© Viktoriia Miroshnikova, istock

RAISING AWARENESS ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

In a news release on occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 Nov 2025, the United Nations reports “Every 10 minutes, partners and family members killed a woman intentionally in 2024 and that trend is growing”.  

Violence against women and girls is the most widespread human rights violation, often following a pattern of prior abuse. The 2024 UNODC-UN Women research report estimates that around 50,000 women and girls were killed in the private sphere in 2024, i.e., an average of 137 women and girls are killed every day by someone in their own family. 

Against this background, GFA Consulting Group is contributing to awareness raising regarding women subjected to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence. Several ongoing projects implemented by GFA worldwide have this thematic issue, be it as core or transversal elements. The two projects highlighted below, one in Central Asia and the other in Latin America, encompass both the prevention of violence against women and responses to gender-based violence.

On behalf of GIZ-Ecuador, GFA started a two-year project in November 2025 as part of the program Prevention of Violence against Women (PreViMujer) – Phase III. Its overall objective is the implementation of regulations for the prevention of violence against women at the central level and in two provinces of Ecuador by state and non-state actors. The GFA component focuses on sectoral implementation in the field of education, assisting the Secretariat of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, educational institutions and universities in two provinces. One of the critical points in the implementation of the National Plan for the Prevention of Violence against Women is strengthening educational centres and higher education institutions as spaces free of violence against women. 

Since July 2025, the Civic Engagement for Development (CED) project on behalf of SDC Kyrgyzstan has been extended and increased with a component that supports women crisis centres for victims of gender-based violence in the country. This assistance by a GFA team of experts aims at bolstering four crisis centres to become more resilient, responsive, and recognized within the national gender-based violence support system. The project focuses on organisational capacity, financial sustainability, and the integration of women-supportive services into public systems. Moreover, the initiative intends to improve access to crucial legal and psychological services for domestic violence victims and survivors.