Last Saturday was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Orange The World is the 16-days of activism against gender-based violence led by the U.N. Secretary General’s initiative UNiTE to End Violence against Women. The theme of Orange The World this year is Leave No One Behind – End Violence Against Women and Girls.
This is Day 6 of Orange The World. Women and girls around the world are subject to the most dreadful human rights violations. Female Genital Mutilation; child-marriage; rape; molestation; harassment; domestic violence, death. One in three women will experience violence in their lifetimes. More facts here and here.
The U.N. says
Research also shows that achieving gender equality helps in preventing conflict, and high rates of violence against women correlates with outbreaks of conflict. Despite the evidence, actions for women’s inclusion, leadership and protection remain inadequate. In some areas, there has even been a roll back on progress.
A Safe World for Women works in countries around the world, empowering women, protecting their rights, advocating for good healthcare and education. The 16 days of Orange The World action lead up to December 10th, International Human Rights Day. Here’s a video that talks about the campaign.
Look around you, and paint the world orange.
* Kirsten Johnson was the PPC for Oxford East in the 2017 General Election. She is a pianist and composer at www.kirstenjohnsonpiano.com.
4 Comments
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What is the activism – I was kind of expecting this to be a sort of 1 thing to do each day for 16 days
I looked for a 16-day plan, but only found lots of different groups doing things on different days. So I think the 16-days is a space of time where lots of organisations and countries are staging events as it suits their schedules. There might very well be events in your area.
Kirsten is right to highlight the issue of domestic violence against women, and it is particularly sad that one consequence of austerity post 2010 was the reduction of the number of shelters available for abused women and children.
However women are not the only victims. The percentage of men being domestically abused by women has been steadily rising over the years, and figures released by the English and Welsh police forces reveal that 24% of victims of domestic abuse were male.
Details on the website below :
Mankind Initiative – 01823 334244 new.mankind.org.uk/
Our confidential helpline is available for all men across the UK suffering from domestic violence or domestic abuse by their current or former wife or partner (including same-sex partner). This can range from actual violence or object throwing to mental abuse such as constant bullying or constant insults. We provide both …