 There is nothing remotely excusable about violence against women and girls, anywhere, anytime. And yet today, a woman somewhere in Australia will be assaulted by her boyfriend, her husband, or a close male relative. Today, traffickers somewhere in the world will sell a young girl into sexual slavery. In a war-torn country, armed men will rape a mother and her daughter as a deliberate tactic to intimidate and oppress. Men will harass young women as they attempt to go to school, to university. Today, as every day, women and girls around the world will face violence simply because they are female. No nation is free of gender-based violence. It's a global scourge that cuts across all borders and cultures and has an impact on all peoples, rending the fabric of societies, damaging individual lives, and repeating itself from one generation to the next. Violence against women and girls is fundamentally a human rights and moral challenge, but it also has severe economic consequences. It undermines productivity. It is a public health issue, a law enforcement issue, and a matter of justice. It leaves all communities poorer, socially, psychologically, and materially. And it remains one of the biggest obstacles to empowering women. When women and girls are recorded their rights and have equal access to education, employment, political participation, and involvement in peace building, they drive social and economic progress and security. When they live free of violence and the fear of violence, they can build futures in which they themselves, their families, communities, and their nations prosper. In 1999, the United Nations first declared November the 25th as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, sharpening the world's focus on the global pandemic of violence. In Australia, we also know this date as White Ribbon Day, a key day in the White Ribbon Campaign, a worldwide program to engage men and boys to stop violence against women and girls. This is not just a women's problem. The role of men and boys is critical and their efforts are essential if we are to bring an end to this violence wherever it occurs. I am inspired by the efforts of so many women and men around the world who are working to combat this problem. Survivors of violence who speak out with courage as an example to others. Male advocates working in Australia, in our region and elsewhere to stop violence against women and to change attitudes and behaviour. And organisations providing places of refuge and legal assistance. Commemorations like the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women are an important occasion to renew our commitment to the world's women and girls. We pledge to work against all forms of violence, in the home, in schools and universities, at workplaces and in the open fields of armed conflict. And we are reminded that this is not the work of one moment, but a daily exercise of vigilance and courage for all of us.