Every year, the world pauses to acknowledge the staggering reality of violence against women, a crisis that spans continents, cultures, and social classes. But recognition alone is not enough. If nations are serious about ending this scourge, the conversation must shift from simply describing the violence to understanding the environment that sustains it. Violence against women is not only about physical acts; it is about power, inequality, silence, and societal structures that allow abuse to flourish. To end it, we must confront these deeper forces head-on.
Across the globe, millions of women continue to face violence not because it is inevitable, but because systems and attitudes that should protect them remain weak or unchallenged. In many communities, harmful gender norms, passed silently from one generation to the next, reinforce the idea that a woman’s body, voice, or decisions can be controlled. These norms normalise silence, discourage women from seeking help, and embolden perpetrators who know they will likely face no consequences.
This reality becomes even more devastating in regions burdened by instability and conflict. Cameroon offers a striking example. In the country’s North West and South West Regions, years of armed conflict have created a climate of fear and insecurity. As homes burn and families scatter, women bear a disproportionate share of the suffering. Reports from humanitarian groups reveal a troubling pattern: sexual violence used as a tactic of control, young girls forced into early marriages, widows vulnerable to exploitation, and displaced women facing daily threats within overcrowded camps.
The Far North Region, plagued by Boko Haram insurgency, tells a similar story. Abductions, rape, forced marriages, and psychological trauma form part of the lived reality for many women and girls. In such crisis zones, the already fragile protective systems collapse. Women who might have once relied on community structures or local authorities now find themselves navigating danger alone.
But Cameroon is not an anomaly. In other crisis-hit regions, from Sudan to the Democratic Republic of Congo, from Afghanistan to parts of the Middle East, the pattern repeats itself. When societies break down, violence against women surges. With fewer witnesses, weaker institutions, and greater impunity, perpetrators act with near-total freedom.
Yet while conflict zones reveal the most extreme forms of abuse, violence against women is equally entrenched in stable, peaceful societies. It happens behind closed doors, in workplaces, on university campuses, and online. Many women experiencing domestic violence continue to hide their pain, fearing judgment, shame, or disbelief. Others navigate institutions that dismiss their claims or fail to protect them. The world’s progress in addressing gender-based violence is uneven, and in many places, painfully slow.
To transform this narrative, we must broaden our understanding of what ending violence truly requires. It is not only about punishing perpetrators after harm is done, it is about preventing violence long before it begins. Prevention demands a cultural shift that challenges the social norms enabling violence. It requires rethinking the way boys are raised, the messages communities reinforce, and the roles society expects women to play.
Education is a powerful tool in this shift. When young people are taught early about equality, respect, consent, and emotional intelligence, they grow into adults who reject harmful behaviours and challenge them within their circles. But education must extend beyond children. Adults- parents, teachers, religious leaders, community elders, must also unlearn attitudes that perpetuate gender inequality.
Legal reforms are another critical dimension. Many countries have laws criminalising domestic violence, rape, and harassment, but enforcement remains inconsistent. Survivors often encounter insensitive police responses, lack of confidentiality, or procedural delays that discourage them from seeking justice. For meaningful change, justice systems must be survivor-friendly, prioritising safety, discretion, trauma-informed handling of cases, and timely prosecution.
In conflict zones, protection must be integrated into humanitarian responses. Shelters, mobile clinics, and psychological support should be as essential as food and water. Peacebuilding efforts must include women at every stage, not as symbolic participants, but as decision-makers whose insights shape solutions. History shows that when women lead in rebuilding communities, the outcomes are more sustainable and inclusive.
Technology is also reshaping the fight against gender-based violence. Anonymous reporting apps, digital safety tools, and online support groups give survivors safe channels to seek help. Social media campaigns amplify voices that once went unheard. But these tools must be matched with accessible on-ground services; a woman reporting danger online must have somewhere safe to go offline.
As the international community marks the global day dedicated to eliminating violence against women every year, the moment calls for a shift from passive observation to deliberate engagement. This is not an issue women should confront alone. Men must be part of the solution, challenging harmful norms among their peers, supporting survivors, and using their influence to model non-violent behaviour. Communities must work collectively to protect women, intervene in dangerous situations, and support survivors without judgment.
Governments must prioritise protection services in both stable and conflict-affected regions. Law enforcement must handle cases with professionalism and urgency. Communities must break the culture of silence that shields perpetrators. Families must teach boys and girls the values of equality and dignity. Humanitarian actors must strengthen services for women in crisis zones like Cameroon. Individuals everywhere must speak up, support survivors, and demand accountability.
Ending violence against women requires a collective uprising of conscience. It demands that society stop treating violence as a women’s issue and instead recognise it as a profound societal failing. Every act of violence is a story of power misused, of voices silenced, of futures disrupted. And every act of prevention is a step towards a more just, peaceful, and humane world.
As the world stands united to end violence against women, the message must be unmistakable: Ending violence against women is not optional but a top priority. It is necessary. It is the responsibility of us all.
Rosaline Obah is a Peace and Community Development Specialist; National and International Consultant in Strategic Communication, Corporate Crisis Management, Peacebuilding, Public relations, and Gender/Rights issues. She is a Certified Professional Mediator, Trainer/Specialist of Peace journalism, Conflict Transformation, Do No Harm, and Digital Literacy/Rights, GPLT Global PR Executive Head IEP Ambassador/Rotary Peace Fellow. Email: rosaline.obah@communitymedia.cm
