Asia and the Pacific - 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence
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The UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE by 2030 to EndViolence against Women campaign is marking the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence (25November to 10 December 2020) under the global theme, “Orangethe World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!". UN Women’s Generation Equality campaign is amplifyingthe call for global action to bridge funding gaps, ensure essential services for survivors of violence during theCOVID-19 crisis, focus on prevention, and collection of data that can improve life-saving services for women andgirls.
This year is like no other. Even before COVID-19 hit, violence against women and girls had reached pandemicproportions. Globally, 243million women and girls were abused by an intimate partner in the past year. Meanwhile, less than 40per cent of women who experience violence report it or seek help.
As countries implemented lockdown measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, violence against women, especiallydomestic violence, intensified – insome countries, calls to helplines have increased five-fold. In others, formal reports of domestic violencehave decreased as survivors find it harder to seek help and access support through the regular channels. Schoolclosures and economic strains left women and girls poorer, out of school and out of jobs, and more vulnerable toexploitation, abuse, forced marriage, and harassment.
In April 2020, as the pandemic spread across the world, the UN Secretary-General called for “peace athome”, and 146Member States responded with their strong statement of commitment. In recent months 135countries have strengthened actions and resources to address violence against women as part of theresponse to COVID-19. Yet, much more is needed.
Today, although the voices of activists and survivors have reached a crescendo that cannot be silenced or ignored,ending violence against women will require more investment, leadership and action. It cannot be sidelined; it mustbe part of every country’s national response, especially during the unfolding COVID-19 crisis.
For the 16 Days of Activism, UN Women handed over the mic to survivors, activists and UN partners on the ground, totell the story of what happened after COVID-19 hit. Read and share stories, get inspired by activists who are makinga difference every single day, and find out how you can take action.
Events in Asia-Pacific, and Global
See our coverage of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and 16 Days ofActivism against Gender-Based Violence from previous years:
Top stories
What happened after COVID-19
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, 243 million women and girls globally were abused by their intimate partners inthe past year. Since the pandemic, with lockdowns measures, countries around the world have seen an alarming rise inreporting on violence against women, especially domestic violence. “What Happened after COVID-19 hit”brings you stories from women on the front lines and the solutions to back.
Hand over the mic
We are handing over the mic to women on the front line and our UN partners, those who are battling COVID-19 and therising pandemic of violence against women and girls. These are the voices of survivors, essential workers, andleaders, telling us what’s urgent, and how we can stop the escalating violence, recover and rebuild fromCOVID-19.
We are Generation Equality: Champions for ending violence against women
Billions of people are standing up for what they believe in – an equal world for all. Here are some leaders andgroundbreakers who take action to end violence against women and girls every day. Read more ►
Photos
Ad campaign: A spotlight on legal gaps to end violence against women
Laws and their effective implementation are a critical foundation in the prevention of violence against women andgirls and responding to this grave human rights violation. This ad campaign casts a spotlight on the legal gaps thatmust close — which since the onset of the pandemic has become as urgent as ever. Learn more ►
Take action
Small actions can make big impacts to end violence against women. Everyone has a role to play. What role will youplay?
Ending violence against women is everyone’s business. Learn the ways you can make a difference, safelyand impactfully.
A glossary outlining the many forms of violence against women and girls, along with other commonly usedterms.
Orange the World on Social media
Show your solidarity with survivors of gender-based violence and where you stand in the fight for women’srights by oranging your social media profile for the 16 Days of Activism – you can download banners for Facebook and Twitter here.
On Instagram, you can use UN Women’s face filter to show howyou are taking action to end gender-based violence and tag a friend to encourage your community to do the same.
Use #orangetheworld, #16Days and #GenerationEquality to start your own conversation about gender-based violence, orshare some of the content from our social media package with sample messages and visuals in English, French,Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese available here.
To kick-start your activism, click on one of the animations below and tweet it out!
