16 days of Activism – What is it and what can you do?

“25 November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women; A Call for Soroptimists to Renew Their Efforts to Counter This Worldwide Pandemic.

by Jackie Shapiro, SI Representative to the United Nations, New York.

In 2000, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution to make 25 November the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The United Nations designates specific days throughout the year to promote international awareness and action on issues of pressing concern to the achievement of the goals of the United Nations.

Escalating violence against women five years after the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, where the Beijing Platform for Action declared it to be one of the twelve critical areas of concern impeding the advancement of women and gender equality, attests to the multitude of obstacles, then and now, to ending violence against women.

Even earlier, in 1991, the Center for Women’s Global Leadership founded the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence to mobilise grass-roots support for efforts to end violence against women. The sixteen days run from 25 November to 10 December, Human Rights Day.

In 2008, the UN Secretary General spearheaded the launch of the United Nations UNITE campaign, tying it to the 16 Days of Activism and seeking to mobilise governments, civil society, young people, the private sector and the entire UN system to prioritise violence against women.

Around the world women have been instrumental in advocating to secure equality at national levels through changes in constitutions, adoption of laws to protect and promote women, and the application of equal justice in legal systems.

Yet violence against women and girls remains a devastating violation of their rights supported by impunity, silence, stigma and shame. One in three women and girls experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetimes.

While we support efforts at the global, regional, and national levels to end violence against women, we need to each commit ourselves at the family and community levels to changing the root causes that sustain violence against women- poverty, unequal education and opportunity for boys and girls, and male chauvinism.”

Useful links to support your advocacy work

Follow and share Soroptimist International on Twitter @SoroptiTweet

Follow Soroptimist International on Instagram @SoroptimistGlobal

Soroptimist International Trello Board (100 anniversary and 16 day banners) at: https://trello.com/b/TvPVzyOC/si-100th-celebrations

More information about 25 November HERE

2020 UNiTE Campaign Theme: Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!

Information HERE 

Trello Board for Orange the World at: https://trello.com/c/qatPhM36/54-change-your-social-media-banners

The UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE Campaign to End Violence against Women will commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women with a virtual event on 25 November.

A Live Webcast of the event will be available on UN Women’s website and UN Web TV. Follow the online conversation using the hashtags #orangetheworld and #16days and follow @SayNO_UNiTE and @UN_Women on Twitter.

The Women’s Global Leadership 2020 16 Days campaign

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