Cooperative movement marks International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women with strong call to action

KAMPALA, November 26, 2025 — The International Cooperative Alliance [ICA] issued a forceful proclamation today marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, urging cooperative organisations worldwide to take a more active role in confronting gender-based violence.

On its website, the ICA, the global apex body for cooperatives, called on cooperatives to “raise one voice in favour of life, dignity, and justice,” declaring that all forms of violence against women are fundamentally incompatible with cooperative values of solidarity, equity, and the common good.

The proclamation highlighted stark global statistics released by international bodies, underscoring the scale and persistence of gender-based violence.

According to the World Health Organisation, an estimated 840 million women worldwide have experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence in their lifetime. In the past year alone, 11 percent of women aged 15 and over suffered physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner, while 263 million women have been subjected to sexual violence by someone other than a partner since the age of 15.

Progress in reducing intimate partner violence has been “very slow,” the statement noted, with global prevalence falling by just 0.2 percent annually over the past two decades. Femicides also remain widespread: in 2023, around 51,100 women were killed by a partner or close family member.

The ICA also drew attention to emerging drivers of violence, including the impact of climate change. Citing UN research, the organisation warned that each 1°C rise in temperature could increase incidents of intimate partner violence, particularly in climate-vulnerable communities. Meanwhile, underreporting remains a significant barrier to change, with only 2 percent of cases of violence against women appearing in the media.

The statement stressed that cooperatives “cannot and must not remain silent” as millions of women continue to face abuse, discrimination, and systemic barriers. It called for a renewed commitment to ensuring that “no woman within our organisations, communities, or families should live in fear.”

Women, the ICA emphasised, are “essential pillars of cooperativism” — leaders, peacebuilders, and drivers of social welfare and development. Ensuring safe, fair, and discrimination-free spaces within cooperatives is therefore described as both a moral responsibility and an organisational imperative.

The proclamation outlined an unequivocal rejection of all forms of violence — physical, emotional, sexual, economic, and symbolic — as well as the cultural attitudes and indifference that allow abuse to persist. Instead, the ICA urged members to foster “a cooperative culture based on mutual respect, shared responsibility, and the full recognition of equality between women and men.”

Cooperativism, the statement affirmed, is “not just an economic model” but a way of life rooted in community and dignity — a way of life in which “there is no room for violence.”

The ICA called on cooperatives to adopt clear policies, implement protection and reporting mechanisms, and promote education, prevention, and support programmes. Everyone within the movement, it said, has a role to play as an agent of change.

Concluding with a resolute declaration, the cooperative movement collectively vowed:
“Not one more woman in fear. Not one more woman in silence. Not one more woman experiencing violence.”

The ICA said it hopes the proclamation will resonate globally, reinforcing a shared commitment to a future “where all women live free, safe, and respected.”

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