Bangkok runs for women living with HIV
Date:
Author: Niels den Hollander
Bangkok - Hundreds of runners got up earlier than usual on October 25th to participate in the Bangkok 10 km International Run organized by UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS to raise funds for ‘Positive Women Thailand’, a not-for-profit organisation working to support women living with HIV in the country.
The date also marked October’s ‘Orange Day’, an initiative from UNiTE, the United Nations Secretary-General’s End Violence against Women Campaign that proclaims the 25th of each month as a day to raise awareness and take action against violence against women and girls.
UN Women, in collaboration with UNAIDS, used the opportunity to highlight the link between violence against women and HIV/AIDS. It is increasingly recognized that there is a strong intersection between gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS as both a cause and consequence of HIV. Women living with HIV are especially susceptible to sexual, physical and psychological violence, encountering abuses of their sexual and reproductive rights, including coerced abortion and forced sterilization. It is therefore, essential to address gender-based violence in order to prevent new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths.
The runners supported the campaign by wearing UNiTE-branded visors, taking photos with advocacy messages and sharing them on social media with the hashtag #OrangeUrWorld.
For more information, please contact:
Ornwipa Rugkhla
Campaign Coordinator Ending Violence against Women
UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Tel: +66 2 288 1249 E-mail: ornwipa.rugkhla@unwomen.org
About UNiTE
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.