The global theme for this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”, reports Dr Despoina Afroditi Milaki, the IPA NGO Representative at the UN.
It aims to galvanize advocacy efforts and call for solidarity with global feminist movements, women’s rights activists and especially the driving force behind them: civil society and women’s rights organizations. As in previous years, the colour orange will be used to represent a brighter future, free from violence against women and girls, as a unifying theme running through all global actions of the UNiTE campaign.
In line with the 2022 global umbrella theme, the Official UN Commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women was held on 23 November 2022.
Throughout the 16-day-long period from 25 November to 10 December, all UNiTE partners, including UN agencies, Generation Equality Forum Action Coalitions, civil society, private sector, sports associations, youth groups, universities and schools are inter alia encouraged to take actions such as:
- Coordinate orange events and activities
- Roll out a digital campaign focusing the work of women’s rights activists, survivors, human rights defenders etc
- Wear the colour orange, and “orange” virtual spaces e.g. websites, social media accounts etc, from 25 November and throughout the 16 days until 10 December.
You can read Dr Milaki’s full report in the November 2022 edition of the IPA Justice Contact Update.
(Image, UN: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/in-focus/2022/11/in-focus-16-days-of-activism-against-gender-based-violence)
