International Day to End Violence against Women & Girls tomorrow

Manama : The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) and its partners will observe the International Day to End Violence against Women & Girls at the A’ali Mall (Gate No 2) in Seef tomorrow.

 The day will mark the launch of the Orange Campaign, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence from November 25 to December 10, which aims to raise public awareness and mobilize people everywhere to bring about change.  

The theme of the campaign for 2017 is “Leave no one behind: end violence against women and girls” which reinforces the campaign’s commitment to a world free from violence for all women and girls around the world, while reaching the most underserved and marginalized, including refugees, migrants, minorities, indigenous peoples, and populations affected by conflict and natural disasters, amongst others, first.

 “The United Nations Information Centre for the Gulf States (UNIC Manama) and partners will launch many initiatives to commemorate the International Day to End Violence against Women & Girls especially with the launch of the Orange Campaign which aims to raise public awareness and mobilize people everywhere to bring about change,” said Samir Imtair Aldarabi, Director United Nations Information Centre for Gulf States. 

UNIC Manama has called on all its partners to actively join the United Nations Global Orange Campaign which this year aims to reach the most underserved and marginalized, including refugees, migrants, minorities, indigenous peoples, and populations affected by conflict and natural disasters. 

“Around the world, more than 1 in 3 women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lives; 750 million women were married before age 18, and more than 250 million have undergone female genital mutilation,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement.

“It is now widely recognized that violence against women, including harassment and harmful practices, are major barriers to the fulfilment of human rights, and a direct challenge to women’s inclusion and participation in sustaining peace. Without tackling it, we will never fulfil the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, “ he stated.

“It is time to further our collective action to end violence against women and girls for good.  That takes all of us working together in our own countries, regions and communities, at the same time, towards the same goal, “ he said.

“The United Nations is addressing violence against women in many ways, including the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against women; the ‘Spotlight Initiative’ with the European Union to connect our efforts with those of national governments and civil society, and the UN Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces Global Initiative,” he said.

“In addition, my zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment in the United Nations is part of the Strategy on Gender Parity that was launched in September. We have also committed to continuing the ‘UNiTE to End Violence against Women’ Campaign, under the new title ‘UNiTE by 2030’,” he stated.

“It is time for united action from all of us so that women and girls around the world can live free from harassment, harmful practices, and all other forms of violence,”  he added.