On the International Day of the Girl Child, 11 October, Together for Girls and its partners, incl
On the International Day of the Girl Child, 11 October, Together for Girls and its partners, including the Government of the United States of America, the Government of Canada, five United Nations agencies, including UNAIDS, and several private sector organizations cohosted an event entitled 72 Hours and Counting: Why Every Hour Matters for Post-Rape Care. Panellists at the event called for increased domestic and global programming to address violence against girls.
Every Hour Matters is a new global advocacy campaign designed to raise awareness of the need to ensure that people have timely access to comprehensive services after rape and of the need for such health services to be made available in all communities. Every Hour Matters was launched in 2016 by Together for Girls, a public–private partnership focused on ending violence against children, particularly sexual violence against girls.
“For women raped in southern Africa, their potential to be exposed to HIV is about one in five. In some places it’s one in three and in some heavily burdened urban areas one in two. We know that young women are at a particularly high risk. Far too many young women report that their first sexual experience is rape. That’s what Together for Girls is all about and why today is so important.”
Deborah Birx United States Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy
“As a survivor of sexual assault as a child myself, I know we are failing to adequately protect and support those who experience rape, especially adolescent girls, who are acutely vulnerable to sexual violence. While global and national leaders consider investing new resources to prevent violence against children, they also should be focused on eliminating stigma associated with rape to ensure survivors get the post-assault care they need and deserve in order to heal quickly and fully.”
Daniela Ligiero Chief Executive Officer, Together for Girls
“The violence against children study conducted in Kenya in 2010 revealed that of all girls who were assaulted, only 7% sought services and only 3% received them. For boys, the picture is even grimmer: 2% sought services and fewer than 1% received them. Children don’t access services for a host of reasons, including feelings of shame, embarrassment or self-blame, which can prevent them from talking about their experiences or seeking help.”
Gary Cohen Founder, Together for Girls
“This problem is so much bigger than me, it’s so much bigger than my name, it’s so much bigger than my comfort. In a situation where I had lost complete control, I wanted to take it back and I want to help other young women realize they can take it back too and realize that there’s a community out in the world that is ready and standing up to fight for them.”
Chessy Prout PAVE Ambassador
