The following article was written by the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development Lynne Featherstone and was puplished yesterday on her website.

This week I wrote to all MPs, in my role as Ministerial Champion for tackling violence against girls and women overseas.

Violence against girls and women is one of the most systematic, widespread human rights abuses in the world. One in three women will experience it in their lifetimes. The UK Government believes this can change, that every woman and girl has the right to live free from violence and abuse.

In the letter, I outlined my priorities for this year. In short, they are:

• Defending/securing the rights of girls and women to live free from violence, through international negotiations such as the Commission on the Status of  Women in March and the ongoing negotiations on the framework which will take us beyond the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

• Eliminating FGM/C within a generation.

• Sharing what we know works to prevent violence against girls and women, by investing in research and working with others to ensure what we do is based on strong evidence.

•  Forging strategic partnerships in the international system to ‘lock in’ prevention of violence against girls and women, making sure we get the best outcomes for girls and women by working closely with others over the long term.

• Linking our international work with domestic, particularly our work on FGM/C and Early and Forced Marriage where there is significant read-across, and through the UK’s National Action Plan on violence against women and girls.

You can read the letter in full here – and find out more about my work at the Department for International Development here.