- The terrible problem of violence against women and girls transcends borders and cultures and affects millions each year. This year as we observe the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, I want to draw attention to how crisis and conflict disproportionately threatens women and girls. Around the world, conflicts and disasters have left 66 million people displaced. If family, social, and legal networks break down, millions of women and girls can become even more vulnerable to gender-based violence. Attention to violence, abuse, and exploitation of women and girls has improved over the last decade, but there is so much more that we can do and we need to do. USAID is actively working to strengthen our response in areas of conflict and natural disaster. I call on our partners to collaborate with us as we incorporate strategies for countering violence against women and girls into our humanitarian response. That means working together to do things like creating safe places for survivors of sexual and other violence, providing case management and counseling, safer schools, and access to safe medical care. Working together, we can ensure that violence against women and girls is eradicated once and for all.