Dubravka Šimonović is United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences.

Ending Violence against Women and Girls: Progress and Remaining Challenges

Participants at a European Union/United Nations Spotlight Initiative high-level event: Progress and perspectives on eliminating violence against women and girls. New York, 26 September 2019. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
In Balochistan, Pakistan, Girl Scouts Nosheen and Ambreen say “strong hands stop violence against women and girls”. 5 December 2016. UN-Women/Henriette Bjoerge
In Port-au-Prince, Haïti, 40 staff from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) formed an orange chain circling the female symbol. 20 November 2013. UN/MINUSTAH

Women’s rights movements, and the implementation and evolution of the international women's human rights framework, resulted in an increased understanding that violence against women is gender-based, a form of discrimination and a violation of human rights.