The "16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence" Campaign in Ungheni
December 4 was a day full of activities in Ungheni - aimed at raising awareness on the issue of violence against women and children, they involved adolescents from Ungheni, local public authorities, as well as the general public.Date:
The day started with a creative workshop organized with nine teenagers, graduates and current students of the School of Fine Arts "Raisa Cojocaru", at the Ungheni Palace of Culture, where the youngsters worked on a graffiti with the theme of eliminating violence against women and girls. They learned about ways to convey social messages through art, the importance of ensuring gender equality in their communities, as well as ideas of their involvement for eliminating violence against women and children and combating gender stereotypes in their locality. Together with the "Urban Spirit Family" team and its leader, the artist Inna Jeleascova (iZZY iZVNE), the teenagers developed inside the library a mural aimed at inspiring the next generation to contribute to combating gender-based violence. The mural was later inaugurated by Vera Poia and Dionisie Ternovschi, Deputy Mayors of Ungheni, Gintautas Baranauskas, Deputy Head of the Operations Department of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova, Dominika Stojanoska, UN Women Moldova Country Representative, and Xavier R. Sire, UNICEF Moldova Deputy Country Representative a.i.
During the day, the officials met to discuss activities aimed at promoting gender equality and combating violence against women and children that are being implemented in Ungheni through the EVA Project – Strengthened Gender Action in Cahul and Ungheni districts, funded by European Union and implemented by UN Women in partnership with UNICEF.
On the same day, at the Ungheni Railway Station, with the support of the EU and Sweden, a professional mural dedicated to combating gender-based violence was inaugurated, developed by the “Urban Spirit Family” team.
The activities of the Campaign "16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence" in Ungheni ended with a press conference held by Dionisie Ternovschi, Gintautas Baranauskas, Dominika Stojanoska and Xavier R. Sire in the “Grigore Vieru” Square, which was illuminated in orange, the color of the Campaign, as a sign of solidarity for a bright future. Representatives of Ungheni municipality, the European Union Delegation, UN Women and UNICEF reiterated the commitment and dedication of international partners to join forces to promote gender equality and eliminate violence against women and children in Ungheni.
Dionisie Ternovschi, Deputy Mayor of Ungheni, thanked the partners from the European Union, UN Women and UNICEF for their support in the framework of the EVA Project – Strengthened Gender Action in Cahul and Ungheni districts, in preventing and combating domestic and gender-based violence.
Gintautas Baranauskas, Deputy Head of the Operations Department of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova, reiterated the European Union’s commitment to contribute to the elimination of gender-based violence in Cahul, but also in the Republic of Moldova in general: “Through the projects implemented in Moldova, the European Union aims to empower women and girls to make full use of their rights and to be active members of the society. We hope that the European Union's assistance to women and children affected by domestic violence will make them understand that they are not alone during this period. The EU will continue to work for the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls, but also to raise awareness on the norms and stereotypes that perpetuate this phenomenon. "
The UN Women Moldova Country Representative, Dominika Stojanoska, stressed that violence against women and girls is the most pervasive violation of women’s human rights and it is a crime.. "Last year, globally, 243 million women and girls were subjected to physical or sexual violence. In the Republic of Moldova, at least one in four women has been subjected to some form of gender based violence. In the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the number of cases of gender-based violence and domestic violence has increased. However, the reporting of cases of violence against women and girls remains too low - only 40% of survivors turn to the authorities to report these cases globally. Together with the European Union, UNICEF and the municipality of Ungheni, we join our forces to implement in the next two years a series of activities and projects aimed at promoting gender equality, as well as preventing and eliminating domestic violence and violence against women and children."
Xavier R. Sire, UNICEF Moldova Deputy Country Representative a.i., highlighted: “Violence against children has serious long-term consequences not only on them, but also on the society in general. The learning abilities of children in schools are affected, which subsequently impairs their employment prospects. Globally, the economic damage of violence against children is estimated at $ 7 trillion, about 8% of global GDP. This vicious circle must be stopped. It is important to join our forces and work together to eliminate domestic violence in the municipality of Ungheni, but also in the Republic of Moldova in general.
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign is being implemented in Ungheni through the EVA Project – Strengthened Gender Action in Cahul and Ungheni districts, funded by the European Union and implemented by UN Women in partnership with UNICEF.