Keynote at High Level Meeting of the Good Humanitarian Donorship on Protection, Disability Inclusion and Gender Based Violence

Conflict and human rights abuse are the core sources of protection risks. But it doesn’t stop there. Then comes what I believe hurts the most: invisibility. Millions of people go through all of this in total solitude. Wondering if anyone knows or cares. Wondering if they matter at all.

Invisibility of survivors is the escape route of criminals, of men with guns. It is invisibility from one’s community to come to the rescue. Invisibility from humanitarians. Invisibility from political solutions. Invisibility from justice.

No crime in times of conflict and disasters falls into invisibility as Gender Based Violence does. No group falls into invisibility as people living with disability. And in many cases persons with disability are victims or survivors of Gender Based Violence - - with invisibility reaching total darkness. So, your topic today is one of relevance and of timeliness. And so will be your actions and decisions in supporting operations to do better.