Huffington Post: It’s time to stop violence against women and girls
Flavia Bustreo, assistant director general for Family, Women’s, and Children’s Health at the WHO, and vice chair of the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

“…Violence against women and girls affects their physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health in the short and long term in many ways: unwanted pregnancies, induced abortions, sexually transmitted infections including HIV, as well as mental health problems like depression, sleep and food disorders, emotional stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, and attempts to and even suicide. … Violence against women must be considered a major global public health problem and all countries must act quickly and effectively to address it. … Gender-based violence has devastating impacts on women and girls, and all of society in respect to equality, poverty and equity, HIV/AIDS, and peace and security. … It is no longer tolerable to turn away and pretend violence against women and girls does not exist. It is time to call a halt to this violence. It is time to act” (12/7).