We, the undersigned Heads of United Nations organisations, are deeply concerned that

violence against women and girls continues to be one of the most pervasive manifestations

of discrimination against women and violations of human rights. Violence against women

and girls is a universal phenomenon and its levels remain unacceptably high. As many

as seven in ten women in various parts of the world report having experienced physical

and/or sexual violence at some point in their lifetime, most of them at the hands of

intimate partners