Moldova kicks off 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence
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The United Nations in Moldova, in partnership with public authorities, international organisations and civil society, joins the UN Secretary-General's 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, which runs annually from November 25 to December 10. The campaign reiterates the need to fight for the immediate eradication of gender-based violence (GBV) and for the creation of a world where girls and women feel safe.
This year's activities will be carried out under the global theme "Unite in activism to eliminate violence against women and girls," with the goal of mobilising different groups to prevent and eliminate GBV, including international communities, civil society organisations that promote women's rights and work with men and boys, UN agencies, government institutions, human rights activists, schools, universities, the private sector and anyone else interested in getting involved.
As part of the campaign, UN Women Moldova and its partners will organise several events and initiatives to raise awareness and encourage women facing GBV to seek help and report cases. These events will be done in partnership with UN agencies, the government and Parliament of Moldova, civil society organisations, the international community, local public authorities, the private sector and women survivors of violence.
The campaign will be launched on 25 November in Căușeni, where a roundtable addressing inter-sectoral cooperation in cases of domestic violence will take place. The purpose of the roundtable is to review Moldova’s inter-sectoral cooperation mechanism and discuss the role of stakeholders in collaborating to eliminate GBV. The participants – which will include representatives of local public authorities, the government, service-providing organisations, civil society and GBV survivors – will discuss their perspectives and recommendations for ensuring better protection of victims and strengthening collaboration.
"Violence against women and girls remains the most serious violation of human rights,” said Simon Springett, UN Moldova’s Resident Coordinator. “But it shouldn’t remain so, because gender-based violence can be prevented.” He explained that feminist activism, awareness-raising activities and a coordinated inter-sectoral response all play important roles in preventing GBV. “At the same time, the elimination of violence against women and girls is up to each of us,” he continued. “During the 16 Days of Activism campaign, we invite you to join our efforts to raise awareness on this phenomenon and amplify efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls forever."
Dominika Stojanoska, UN Women Moldova’s Country Representative, said that grassroots organisations, women’s groups and survivors have pushed for more awareness. “That’s why the theme of this year’s 16 Days campaign is ‘UNITE in activism to eliminate violence against women and girls,’” she said. “Women's organisations play a crucial role in preventing violence against women and girls through their work done to help change policies, monitor the actions of authorities and ensure that the number of cases of violence is reduced”.
During the campaign, we call on everyone to show solidarity and get involved. Each of us can create changes and contribute towards the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. Note: For the past 21 years, this campaign has been organised in the Republic of Moldova by the government, local authorities, international organisations and civil society. The colour of the campaign is orange, which symbolises a bright future, without violence, for every woman and girl.