One in three women around the world will experience violence from an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime. Although this is a shocking figure, even more shocking is the fact that in 23 countries across the continents, it is likely to be two in three women.

A study by the conversation.com on countries with a high prevalence of violence against women analysed data from the World Health Organisation. The results showed that countries which were colonised are 50 times are more likely to have incidents of intimate-partner violence against women.

We cannot say that a history of colonialism is the only driver of violence against women. Other factors such as social norms that position women as inferior may also be to blame. However, the study carried out by theconversation.com revealed that colonialism makes these other risk factors worse.

It is from this background that the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) organised a conference on Decolonisation: Empowerment and Development of Women. The Initiative gives a chance to representatives of overseas territories who have been denied a chance to voice their demands for freedom and independence a platform to assert their basic rights and make their voices heard.

At the conference, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 20 and 21 November under auspices of the Non-Aligned Movement which is chaired by Azerbaijan, representatives from the French colonies of New Caledonia, Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana and French Polynesia, most of them women, voiced their needs for freedom and what they are doing in the meantime to ensure their culture is kept intact.

For example, Mline Sakilia, a representative from New Caledonia, says while they advocate for their independence, concerts such as Kaneka Legend are held every year to remind the young generation about the importance of maintaining their culture.

While speaking at the conference, Uganda’s Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development Betty Amongi encouraged all representatives, especially women leaders to recognise that there will always be challenges but in order to succeed, these must be endured and overcome.

The one thing that all representatives agreed upon was that every effort geared towards the independence and empowerment of women, especially those still under colonial rule must be sustainable.