NEW YORK — The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women was commemorated Nov. 25, and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is spearheading a global campaign, "UNiTE to end violence against women."

In tandem with this, celebrity Nicole Kidman, in her role as Goodwill Ambassador for the U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), has been promoting an Internet-based global advocacy campaign for the past year with the slogan "Say NO to violence against women." A week ago she presented more than 5 million signatures to the secretary general, reaffirming the need to treat this issue as a global priority.

There is no denying the gravity of the problem of violence against women, or VAW, as it has come to be known. Global statistics tell us that at least one of every three women, whether they live in Japan, Peru or Mozambique, is likely to be beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime.