The President of the African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka, has said that violence against women is an issue that concerns everyone and not women alone.
Kaberuka made the remarks in his statement at the event of the International Day for the elimination of violence against women, on Monday 25 November 2013.
According to Kaberuka, the fight is a priority for all men and all women who are committed to contributing to the development of their societies.
Coming from a Rwanda background, where the country has stepped up efforts to empower women and fight gender based violence, in September 2013, Kaberuka appointed a Special Envoy on Gender to be an advocate and oversee the Bank’s work in strengthening women’s legal status and property rights, and promoting their economic empowerment, especially through skills training.
Using the words of African Nobel Prizewinner Wangari Maathai, that “African women need to see what they are as a strength, and to be liberated from fear and from silence”, Kaberuka said that as the development voice of Africa, the African Development Bank will continue to argue that women’s equality and opportunity before the law is the shared responsibility by governments and peoples alike.
The African Development Bank works in partnership with governments, civil society organizations and businesses to bring about a world which is not just free of violence, but also ensures and then celebrates equality of opportunity and treatment for women as for men.
