DALLAS-Tuesday 1 September 2020 [ AETOS Wire ]
(BUSINESS WIRE)--
In an effort to support life-saving efforts to prevent and end violence
against women, a global public health pandemic exacerbated by COVID-19,
Mary Kay Inc. and The Mary Kay FoundationSM have partnered
with CARE USA, a humanitarian global leader, and the United Nations
Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund).
More than one in three women around the world experience either physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime1.
These alarming statistics are exacerbated in times of conflict, natural
disasters, and crisis. UN Women, the United Nations entity dedicated to
gender equality and the empowerment of women, which manages the UN
Trust Fund on behalf of the UN system, has been tirelessly alerting and
raising awareness of the alarming increase of violence against women
during COVID-19 and its lasting consequences, putting women’s human
rights at risk as nations work on rebuilding.
“Mary Kay has a decades-long commitment to ending violence against women and girls everywhere, it’s part of who we are,” said Melinda Foster Sellers, Chief People Officer of Mary Kay Inc.
“Today we join forces with the UN Trust Fund and CARE, two remarkable
stewards of women’s rights, who have made extraordinary achievements
through social impact on the ground, gender data collection, and
relentless advocacy work. Together, we are more determined than ever to
achieve a world free of violence against women.”
“Since 1999, The Mary Kay FoundationSM has been committed to bringing an end to domestic violence,” said Anne Crews, Vice President of Public Affairs at Mary Kay and Board member of The Mary Kay FoundationSM.
“Over the past 20 years, over 2,600 shelters advocating to eradicate
gender-based domestic violence have received grants totaling near $47
million. We’ve supported over six million women and girls seeking
shelter and services to be free from abuse. Our global partnerships with
the UN Trust Fund and CARE will help us deepen and expand the scope of
our fight to protect women and girls.”
Through
the ongoing work of its four corporate foundations and these recent
global partnerships, Mary Kay reaffirms its leadership in addressing and
preventing violence against women and girls uniquely affected by the
consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. These initiatives manifest Mary
Kay’s overall commitment to SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
- Through its partnership with the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, Mary Kay will contribute to funding projects to protect women and girls in 70 countries and territories.
The
UN Trust Fund, as the only demand-driven, competitive grant-making
mechanism specialized in ending violence against women and girls, is
uniquely positioned to contribute to realizing this goal through funding
contextually relevant initiatives and providing support to grantees,
many of which are small, women-led and women’s rights organizations.
Since its establishment in 1996 by UN General Assembly resolution
50/166, the UN Trust Fund has awarded USD $175 million to 572
initiatives in 140 countries and territories.
The
UN Trust Fund grantees are on the front line of the response to the
long-standing and ongoing pandemic of violence against women and girls.
Over the last four years, the UN Trust Fund reached over 22 million individuals with
projects to prevent and end violence against women and girls and
enabled the life-changing work of women’s rights and women-led
organizations in their capacity on the front line in delivering services
to survivors and implementing laws and policies. More than one million women and girls benefited directly from life-saving services, empowerment activities and protection from violence,
including at least 107,428 survivors of violence. In 2019 only, the UN
Trust Fund supported 137 projects and awarded 79 new grants in value of
USD 35 million.
“Violence against women is the most widespread violation of human rights globally and knows no boundaries,’’ said Aldijana Sisic, Chief, UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women.
“It is the most severe expression of discrimination, a persistent
pandemic exacerbated by the current COVID-19 crisis. The lockdown
measures to curb the coronavirus together with an overburdened
healthcare and law enforcement systems leave women and girls survivors
of violence in a dangerous limbo. In this context, women’s organizations
around the world play the pivotal role as first responders for
survivors. Now is the time to join forces, step up and support them to
ensure no woman and girl is left alone behind walls of silence. We thank
our partners in Mary Kay for leading by example with its contribution
to this work and walking this path together with us.”
- Mary Kay will support CARE programs fighting against gender-based violence, contributing to transform the lives of women and girls in 100 countries and territories.
Women
around the world are disproportionately impacted by poverty and
gender-based violence, making up the majority of the 1.4 billion people
living in extreme poverty. For this reason, CARE has a strategic
commitment to gender – and is relentlessly advocating for women’s voices
and leadership.
CARE’s
emergency response to the global COVID-19 crisis has expanded with
unprecedented speed, scaling up in 67 countries spiraling into a
humanitarian emergency due to the pandemic and reaching approximately sixteen
million people through direct programs, and providing over one million
people with training and information about services to end
violence against women. Identifying the need to highlight the gender
impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, on March 31, CARE launched a Global Rapid Gender Analysis on COVID-19 (RGA),
conducted in consultation with the International Rescue Committee
(IRC). Mary Kay’s support is uniquely informed by the fresh data and
findings provided by the Global Rapid Gender Analysis on COVID-19 in 50
countries to date. CARE’s 50 Rapid Gender Analyses show
that the pandemic has worsened the problem highlighting southern Africa
and Europe, as well as reports of tens of thousands of women facing
physical or sexual abuse during lockdowns and shelter in place.
Mary Kay Inc. and The Mary Kay FoundationSM have also provided a $100,000 contribution to Together For Her’s international
gender-based violence relief efforts, housed at CARE. The funds will be
used for programs around the world that support victims and survivors
of violence; providing PPE for staff who accompany survivors of violence
to court hearings and delivering food, hygiene and cleaning items to
women victims who are receiving psychological, medical and temporary
shelter services.
"Achieving real equality for women and eradicating gender-based violence (GBV) can transform the world in so many ways," said Michelle Nunn, President and CEO of CARE. "In
the world's most marginalized communities, girls and women bear the
brunt of injustice. The COVID-19 crisis alone may cause 31 million more
GBV cases over six months of virus-related lockdowns. We know this
staggering possibility is preventable, and we must address these
horrific abuses before they happen. Investing in local women's
grassroots movements is among the highest and most powerful good that we
can do to create social and societal change."
Did You Know?
- It is estimated that of the 87,000 women who were intentionally killed in 2017 globally, more than half (58 per cent) were killed by intimate partners or family members.
- Therefore, every day, 137 women across the world are killed by a member of their own family.
- Some 650 million women and girls in the world today were married before the age of 18. Approximately 15 million adolescent girls (aged 15 to 19) worldwide have experienced forced sex (forced sexual intercourse or other sexual acts) at some point in their lives.
Source: UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, Annual Report 2019.
About Mary Kay
One
of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her beauty
company more than 56 years ago with three goals: develop rewarding
opportunities for women, offer irresistible products, and make the world
a better place. That dream has blossomed into a multibillion-dollar
company with millions of independent sales force members in nearly 40
countries. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind
beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skin care, color cosmetics, and
fragrances. Mary Kay is committed to empowering women and their families
by partnering with organizations from around the world, focusing on
supporting cancer research, protecting survivors from domestic abuse,
beautifying our communities, and encouraging children to follow their
dreams. Mary Kay Ash’s original vision continues to shine—one lipstick
at a time. Learn more at MaryKay.com.
About The Mary Kay FoundationSM
Guided by Mary Kay Ash’s dream to enrich the lives of women everywhere, The Mary Kay FoundationSM raises
and distributes funds to invest in breakthrough cancer research to find
a cure for women-related cancers and ending domestic violence against
women. Since 1996, The Mary Kay FoundationSM has contributed
more than $80 million to organizations aligned with its two-fold
mission. In addition, the Foundation supports awareness initiatives,
community outreach programs, and advocates for legislation to ensure
women are healthy and safe. Together, we can make the world better for
women. To learn more about how to educate, advocate, volunteer and
donate, and join life-saving work to support and empower women, visit marykayfoundation.org, find us on Facebook and Instagram, or follow us on Twitter.
About United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women
The
United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust
Fund), managed by UN Women on behalf of the UN system, is the only
global grant-making mechanism exclusively dedicated to eradicating all
forms of violence against women and girls. In the 24 years of its
existence, it has supported 572 organizations, investing in innovative
and evidence-based civil society-led solutions and life-changing
projects. The projects funded focus on preventing violence, implementing
laws and policies to address and eliminate violence against women and
girls, and improving access to essential services for survivors. Learn
more at untf.unwomen.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About CARE
Founded
in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading
humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE has more than
seven decades of experience delivering emergency aid during times of
crisis. Our emergency responses focus on the needs of the most
vulnerable populations, particularly girls and women. Last year CARE
worked in 100 countries and reached close to 70 million people around
the world. To learn more, visit www.care.org.
About Together for Her
Together
for Her is a call to action to stand in solidarity with women and girls
around the world by deploying funds and supporting the global response
against domestic violence during the time of COVID-19. The Charlize
Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP), CARE and the Entertainment
Industry Foundation (EIF) have come together to amplify the dire need
for resources. Charlize and CTAOP provided a lead gift, and Charlize
called upon women everywhere to join forces and help shine a light on
this critical effort. Through our collective voices, we stand in
solidarity to show that we are stronger together; we are Together for Her.
1 World Health Organization Report. 2013
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Contacts
Mary Kay Inc. Corporate Communications
marykay.com/newsroom
972.687.5332 or media@mkcorp.com
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