This year, UN Women and partners around the world are marking the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (25 November – 10 December) under the theme of ‘Orange the World: Raise Money to End Violence against Women and Girls’. A host of public events will galvanize global attention and action to end the pandemic of violence against women. From marches in Uganda, Serbia and Timor-Leste, to a public rally on motorbikes in Pakistan, people will take to the streets to say no to violence, and iconic buildings will light up in orange.
From 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign is a time to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.
“ORANGE THE WORLD: RAISE MONEY TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN”
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 16 Days of Activism 25 November – 10 December 2016
The UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign invites governments, UN agencies, civil society organizations and individuals from all countries to mark the days between 25 November and 10 December (the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence) by raising resources for initiatives that aim to prevent and end violence against women and girls. Our UNiTE campaign theme this year is: “ORANGE THE WORLD: RAISE MONEY TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN” Join us, take action, keep the world orange throughout 16 Days, and call for political commitments to be matched with specific ACTION of adequate FUNDING to prevent and end violence against women and girls worldwide.
The European Parliament building in Brussels, Belgium. Photo: European Union/EP
BACKGROUND
The United Nations Secretary-General’s Campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women has proclaimed the 25th of each and every month as “Orange Day,” a day to raise awareness of and take action to end violence against women and girls. As the bright and optimistic colour for the UNiTE Campaign, orange represents a future free from violence against women and girls. Orange Day calls upon activists, governments, and UN partners to mobilise people and highlight issues relevant to preventing and ending violence against women and girls, not only once a year on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, but every month.
In 2016, a new global development agenda was adopted and ratified by every UN Member State. Through its 17 goals and 169 targets, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, an agenda for global action for the next 15 years, addresses the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social, and environmental. The Agenda recognises gender equality and the empowerment of women as a key priority and pledges that “no one will be left behind.” Goal 5 of the agenda aims to “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” and includes specific targets to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. All goals are integrated and indivisible, therefore their achievement is also fully dependent on ensuring parallel and interconnected implementation to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls.
For this reason, throughout 2016 the UNiTE Campaign and its Orange Days will highlight specific Sustainable Development Goals as they relate to violence against women and girls.
Goal 16 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is dedicated to the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, the provision of access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable institutions at all levels. It aims to ensure equal access to justice for all, significantly reduce all forms of violence, and end abuse, exploitation and trafficking.
While States have the obligation to punish those who perpetrate violence against women by implementing measures that recognize violence against women as a crime, and ensure procedures are in place to enable investigations, prosecutions, and access to effective remedies and reparations, women who face violence often encounter numerous obstacles to accessing justice.
Obstacles may include institutional barriers within the justice system such as the lack of expertise of legal professionals, lack of coordination and cooperation amongst relevant institutions, as well as indifference or lack of resourcing. Accessing justice may be further complicated in countries in which parallel legal systems or traditional dispute mechanisms exist.
In humanitarian situations, challenges may be compounded due to weakened or nonexistent institutional infrastructure. In post-conflict settings, it’s critical that there is a comprehensive justice and criminal accountability system for sexual crimes and that survivors of sexual and gender-based violence can access redress and reparations.
The UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, managed by UN Women, has proclaimed every 25th of the month as “Orange Day” – a day to take action to raise awareness and prevent violence against women and girls.
Initiated and led by the UNiTE campaign Global Youth Network, Orange Day calls upon activists, governments and UN partners to mobilize people and highlight issues relevant to preventing and ending violence against women and girls, not only once a year, on 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women), but every month.
Launched in 2008, the United Nations Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign aims to raise public awareness and increase political will and resources for preventing and ending all forms of violence against women and girls in all parts of the world.
The global vision of the UNiTE campaign is a world free from violence against all women and girls. This vision can only be realized through meaningful actions and ongoing political commitments of national governments, backed by adequate resources.
The United Nations Secretary-General’s UNiTE campaign calls on all governments, civil society, women’s organizations, men, young people, the private sector, the media and the entire UN system to join forces in addressing this global pandemic.
Through its advocacy initiatives at the global, regional and national levels, the UNiTE campaign is working to mobilize individuals and communities. In addition to supporting the longstanding efforts of women’s and civil society organizations, the campaign is actively engaging with men, young people, celebrities, artists, sports personalities, private sector and many more.
UNiTE Goals
Every woman and girl has the right to a life free of violence. Let us make this a reality!
Benefiting thousands of women and girls and their communities across the world, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women helps set in motion lasting change.
The UN Trust Fund supports programmes that challenge harmful norms and practices to break the vicious cycle of violence and expand the provision of services and access to safety for survivors of violence to enable them to speak out and rebuild their lives. The Fund champions the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls to address the twin pandemics of violence and HIV, and bolsters actions to keep women and girls safe in conflict.
Be a part of this change – donate to the UN Trust Fund today.
Make a donation to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women
The UN Trust Fund relies exclusively on voluntary contributions. In 2015, a total of 1,029 proposals were received with requests totalling USD 427 million.
Every gift counts! Thank you for your support!
“Break the silence. When you witness violence against women and girls, do not sit back. Act.”
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more info:
SAY NO UNiTE TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
UNITED NATIONS TRUST FUND TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
The UNiTE campaign uses Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SayNO_UNiTE; hashtags: #orangetheworld, #16days.
Facebook: http://facebook.com/SayNO.UNiTE
YouTube: http://youtube.com/saynotoviolence
Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/saynotoviolence
UNiTE website: http://endviolence.un.org/
UN Women
UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. UN Women was created to be a dynamic and strong champion for women and girls, providing them with a powerful voice at the global, regional, and local levels. Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the UN Charter, UN Women, among other issues, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; empowerment of women; and achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security. Website: www.unwomen.org
The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women
The UN Trust Fund is the only global grant-making mechanism dedicated to eradicating all forms of violence against women and girls globally. Supporting over 400 organizations over the past 20 years, UN Trust Fund grantees show that with sustained resources and dedicated work, violence against women and girls can be prevented and eliminated. Focusing on prevention of violence, implementation of laws and policies and improving access to vital services for survivors, the UN Trust Fund has spent the past 20 years funding life-changing programmes for millions of women and girls. The UN Trust Fund is managed by UN Women on behalf of the UN system. Website: http://untf.unwomen.org/en