Double jeopardy: Violence against women and economic inequality - Actionaid

By: Actionaid

Every day, women around the world are making an invaluable contribution to the global economy through their paid and unpaid labour. Far too often, their work is poorly paid, invisible and precarious, carried out against a backdrop of harassment and the threat of violence. One in three women globally will experience violence in their lifetimes. The enduring presence of these twin injustices – women’s economic inequality and violence against women and girls (VAWG) – are a manifestation of the global community’s failure thus far to tackle the systemic and structural causes of gender inequality.

Drawing on participatory research with women ActionAid works with in Uganda, Cambodia, India and Brazil, this report highlights their experiences of oppression and exploitation – including for economic gain – through the patriarchal structures and systems that permeate the modern global economy. It further shows how the violence faced by women and girls is linked to their economic exploitation, creating a self-reinforcing cycle. This situation has not come about by accident, but is a product of conscious policy choices to advance favoured economic development strategies.

Double Jeopardy violence against women and economic inequality | ActionAid
Double Jeopardy violence against women and economic inequality | ActionAid