The Sistren Theatre Collective, a grantee of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, has been internationally honoured with the Otto Rene Castillo Award for Political Theatre, given to organizations globally that “extend humanity’s social imagination”.

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“I was raped during the war by three men. I live with two stigmas: of rape and of HIV.” In her statement, Benetta describes the situation of thousands of Liberian women. But what makes Benetta different is that she is breaking the silence around these difficult issues.

“Most women will not disclose their positive status because they will be blamed for bringing HIV in the home, and their partners will abandon them,” she explains. “If you are known to have HIV, people will also say you were a prostitute and that is how you contracted the virus.”

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To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25^th, and in tribute to grassroots activists around the world who are at the forefront of the efforts to end the pandemic of violence, the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) today launched its new global Call for Proposals to support country-level programmes to end violence against women and girls.

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2011 marks the 15 year anniversary of the United Nations Trust Fund to End violence against Women. The UN Trust Fund was established in 1996 by UN General Assembly resolution 50/166  and is managed by UN Women on behalf of the UN system. It is a multilateral grant-making mechanism exclusively devoted to supporting local and national efforts to end violence against women and girls worldwide.

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At 24 years old, Laura has already endured a lifetime of suffering.

Growing up in an indigenous community in Quetzaltenango, in western Guatemala, Laura lost her mother at the tender age of 13. She dropped out of school to become the substitute mother for her eight siblings. Her father turned to alcohol, which fueled violence. Laura was his regular victim.

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A cook in the Cambodian city Siem Reap, Chhean was compelled to take action against her sister’s tyrannical husband when in 2008 he sold his two-year-old daughter to a trafficking ring so he could buy a new motorbike. Chhean, a widow and sole provider for her four children, urged her sister Baen to file a law suit and openly demanded that her brother-in-law get the two year old back. Instead, her brother-in-law threatened Chean’s life. That threat turned real one day when he drove by on his motorbike while Chhean was working and threw acid on her.

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The United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) today announced US$17.1 million in grants to 22 initiatives in 34 countries, including, for the first time, Iraq and South Sudan.

“Violence against women is a human rights and public health emergency,” said Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women. “But it is not inevitable. With sufficient political will, funding, and carefully developed and targeted programs, violence against women can be significantly reduced. Through its support, the UN Trust Fund helps key stakeholders do just that.”

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Leaving the comforts of city life was not easy in the beginning for Cambodian youths Chhay Theara and Chea Samphors, who voluntarily agreed to live and work in rural communities to affect behavioral change and attitudes towards gender-based violence. They faced challenges that would send many others packing. Not fully understanding the concept of volunteerism, rural community members received Theara, 26, and Samphors, 25, with skepticism. As a woman, Samphors had to also overcome gender bias, proving to the village chief that she was capable of doing what a man can do.

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“My husband raped me almost every day,” describes a woman from Nepal’s Makwanpur district, one the the country’s regions most affected by HIV and AIDS. “He had the misconception that it was his right to have sex with his wife whenever he wanted to.”

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For her young age, 17-year-old Zehra has already experienced a lifetime of pain. Her parents left rural Tajikistan to work in Russia when she was just two years of age. Zehra was raised by her aunt, who was verbally and physically abusive. At 15, Zehra ran away after her aunt accused her of theft. Like many other teens, she headed to the capital, Dushanbe, in hopes of finding work. Zehra quickly encountered the harsh realities of living in the capital of Central Asia’s poorest country: She was sold into prostitution.  

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