The Queen Consort Camilla marked the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence by delivering a speech on Tuesday at a Buckingham Palace reception where she condemned “a global pandemic of violence against women.”
Camilla, 75, invited more than 300 guests, including survivors, celebrities, politicians and other royal dignitaries to hear her campaign for change.
“We are united today to confront what has rightly been called a global pandemic of violence against women,” she said.
“We are uniting today to confront what has rightly been called a global pandemic of violence against women. Faced with such challenges, it can be hard to know what practical steps we can take to even begin to make a difference.”
“Throughout the world, individuals and organisations are coming together to call for the prevention and the elimination of violence against women and girls. Why? Because, over a period of 16 days worldwide, more than 2,000 women will be killed by a partner or a member of their own family.”
“Because, in England and Wales alone… police will report that more than 3,000 women have been raped and because, up to one in three women across the globe, will endure domestic violence in the course of their lifetime. Behind every one of these statistics lie individual stories of human suffering and heartbreak.”
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence runs between the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25) and Human Rights Day (December 10) to raise awareness of violence against women and girls.
Guests in attendance included other female royals such as Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Queen Rania of Jordan, Queen Mathilde of Belgium and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, as well as the home secretary Suella Braverman, health secretary Steve Barclay, Carrie Johnson, and former Spice Girl Mel B.
First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, was also present.
Camilla used her speech to commemorate the women and children who were killed by their intimate partners.
“We remember those women who have lost their lives at the hands of a stranger, or the person who should have loved them best,” she said. “In so doing, we refuse to be desensitised by cold facts and figures and we resolve to keep the names and the memories of these women alive.”
“We remember Brenda Blainey, Mariam Kamara, Lucy Powell, Samantha Drummonds, Yasmin Begum, Sally Turner, Hina Bashir, Jillu Nash and her 12-year-old daughter Louise, to name but a very few of those who have been killed this year alone. And we remember – because we cannot forget – all the other women and girls who died in similarly horrific circumstances.”
“These women, tragically, can no longer speak for themselves. But we listen to those who can.”
Lucia Osborne-Crowley, a journalist who covered the Ghislaine Maxwell trial and frequently writes about sexual violence — was also in attendance on Tuesday.
“16 years ago, I was violently raped in a McDonald’s bathroom by a man who I thought would kill me when it was over,” she tweeted.
“Today I ducked into a McDonald’s bathroom to check my make-up on the way to Buckingham Palace to talk to Camilla about rape reform and ending violence against women.”
“Recovering from this, and living with the consequences of it, has sometimes felt unbearable. If I’m honest, there have been days when I wish I hadn’t survived that night. Today is not one of them.”
Osborne-Crowley authored I Chose Elena in 2019, a memoir that detailed the harrowing rape she endured at the age of 15 during a night out with friends in Sydney. Two years later, she followed her debut with My Body Keeps Your Secrets, a non-fiction book combining prose memoir and reportage on trauma, sexual violence and female grief.
After the event, Camilla posted a personal tweet on the royal family’s Twitter page:
“Today, a remarkable group of people gathered at Buckingham Palace with one aim – to see the end of violence against women and girls. I was deeply moved and inspired by their stories. With determination and courage, we will see the end of these heinous crimes forever.”