Sunday marks the International Day for the Elimination of
Violence Against Women , which was first designated by the U.N.
General Assembly in December of 1999. U.N. Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon issued a statement calling on all governments to make
good on their pledges to end all forms of violence against women
and girls in all parts of the world. He added that it is the
perpetrators of violence who should feel disgraced, not the
victims. The U.N. Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment
of Women has announced a new initiative, called COMMIT, which
asks governments to make national commitments to come up with
new policies to protect women who are victims of violence.
Catherine Ashton, the European Union's High Representative for
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, says violence against women
is arguably the most widespread human rights violations of our
time. She pledged the EU's commitment to making the world safe
for women. The United Nations says there are currently 125
countries that have laws pen