Message from Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 25 November 2018

Date: Thursday, November 15, 2018

"This year’s United Nations theme for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is “Orange the World: #HearMeToo”. It aims to honour and further amplify voices, whether a housewife at home, a schoolgirl abused by her teacher, an office secretary, a sportswoman, or a boy who is an intern in a business, bringing them together across locations and sectors in a global movement of solidarity. It is a call to listen to and believe survivors, to end the culture of silencing and to put the survivors at the centre of the response." - UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka More

Traditional leaders across Africa move the needle against child marriage and FGM

Date: Thursday, November 15, 2018

Working with traditional leaders, UN Women and partners are building impetus for a continent-wide commitment to end child marriage and female genital mutilation in Africa. More

In the words of Bettie Johnson Mbayo: “Men need to be involved in reporting on this issue because they dominate the newsrooms”

Date: Thursday, November 15, 2018

Award-winning journalist Bettie Johnson Mbayo from Frontpage Africa took a 16-hour motorbike ride last year through Southeastern Liberia to find a 13-year-old girl who was raped by a law-maker. Despite receiving threats, Mbayo pursued the story relentlessly, following leads on social media and interviewing family members, neighbours, school officials and the police. Her reporting resulted in the arrest of the alleged perpetrator. More

Community centres at the forefront of protection, prevention and response services to vulnerable women and girls in Jordan

Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Dunya Khalil* and Basma Hamed* are both survivors of domestic violence. Living in a rural area, with limited livelihood opportunities and confronted with the need to provide for their children, they found protection support and counselling services at the women and girls’ centre in Ajloun operated by the Institute for Family Health and UN Women, with the generous support of the Government of Japan. More

In the words of Aiman Umarova: “If violence is condemned to silence, that does not mean that it’s not in our lives”

Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Aiman Umarova is an acclaimed Kazakhstani lawyer and human rights activist who specializes in sexual offences against women and children, and crimes related to violent extremism and torture. She has dedicated her life to fight violence against women, despite facing threats of violence herself. More

In India, women boycott weddings with child brides

Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Across five rural Indian states, thousands of women have joined Women Peer Groups, which are using everything from protests to pledging ceremonies as part of a UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women-supported violence-prevention programme for ethnic minority women. More

Media Advisory: “Orange the World: #HearMeToo”: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2018

The official commemoration of the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November) will take place on Monday, 19 November 2018, at the Trusteeship Council Chamber, United Nations Headquarters, New York, from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. The commemoration will bring together survivors and activists under the theme of Orange the World: #HearMeToo, leveraging their voices and work on ending violence against women and girls. More

Young educators in China are questioning gender norms and preventing violence

Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2018

The Change Makers programme introduces young people to basic principles and thinking around gender equality, and then equips them with communications and advocacy skills to craft and share the information with their peers aged 13 to 18. More

Across Latin America, women fight back against violence in politics

Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Currently, Latin America is leading globally in local and parliamentary positions held by women. But the journey to political participation is fraught with rising violence and intimidation against women in politics. In the age of #MeToo, we bring you the voices of Latin American women who are raising their voices and running for office, against all odds. More

From where I stand: “We must fight this perception that what happens in the family remains in the family”

Date: Tuesday, November 13, 2018

For Ina Grădinaru, a psychologist with a women’s centre in Moldova, her work with survivors of violence is much more than a job, it’s a social responsibility and her life mission. For the #HearMeToo campaign, she talks about her work, the persisting challenges and myths that must be broken to end the violence. More

From where I stand: “People with disabilities don’t talk about the violence they experience because often it means reporting the people closest to them”

Date: Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Amira Kushta* was diagnosed with a rare tumor in the spine and was paralyzed after back surgery when she was 19. Her house became her prison for 24 years. More

In the words of Aissa Doumara Ngatansou: “My own experience of discrimination inspired me to become the activist that I am today”

Date: Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Aissa Doumara Ngatansou is a 46-year-old mother of three children from the Far North Region of Cameroon. She co-founded a branch of the Association for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (ALVF) in the city of Maroua in 1996. ALVF works with survivors, and advocates with decision-makers to end early and forced marriages, and other forms of gender-based violence. More

From where I stand: “For the 16 Days of Activism…I am planning to highlight women who are speaking up against harassment”

Date: Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Nesrine Charikhi is a radio reporter from Algiers, the capital of Algeria. In 2017, she took part in a training on gender-sensitive reporting for journalists organized by UN Women in partnership with the Algerian Ministry of Communication. One year later, Charikhi explains how the training has helped her change her way of reporting on violence against women and girls, especially through her radio show, “At the Heart of Society”. More

From where I stand: “I launched Thaiconsent to introduce the concept of consent”

Date: Tuesday, November 13, 2018

In Thailand, women are no longer willing to stay silent and live with a culture of rape. Launched in 2015 by a young activist, the ThaiConsent campaign is opening spaces for men and women discuss consent. More

From where I stand: “I created the Wangu Kanja Foundation to provide the kind of support to survivors that I didn’t receive”

Date: Tuesday, November 13, 2018

The Violence Against Children report in Kenya (2010) indicated that one in three Kenyan girls has experienced sexual violence before they turn 18. Wangu Kanja, a survivor of sexual violence, started a Foundation to provide much-needed support to survivors of gender-based violence in Kenya. More

In the words of Elisa Zepeda Lagunas: “It is essential for me to occupy these spaces and to open them up for others”

Date: Monday, November 12, 2018

Elisa Zepeda Lagunas, 34, is an aquaculture engineer, Mazatec indigenous leader and women’s rights defender who has suffered intense violence due to her political activism. More

From where I stand: “Don’t tell me how to dress!”

Date: Monday, November 12, 2018

Thai supermodel Cindy Sirinya Bishop is the founder of a campaign to stop victim-blaming, which has galvanized women all over the country. She is now taking the campaign to different platforms, public events, and universities in Thailand and abroad. More

In the words of Emmanuella Zandi Mudherwa: “I want every survivor to be called victorious”

Date: Monday, November 12, 2018

Emmanuella Zandi Mudherwa, 21, founded her own non-profit organization, “Ma Voisine” (My neighbour) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, which promotes girls’ empowerment by girls. Today it has 12,000 members around the country. She collaborates with UN Women on initiatives to raise awareness about gender-based violence. More

From where I stand: “I went back to university to pursue my degree in Gender Studies; I am the only male student in the class”

Date: Friday, November 9, 2018

Meet Imad Natour, a Palestinian police officer who specializes in domestic violence cases as part of the Family and Juvenile Protection Unit. The unit, supported by a joint programme by UN Women, UNDP and UNICEF, provides survivors of violence with medical, legal aid, temporary shelter and police protection. The unit is also creating powerful gender equality advocates like Natour within communities. More

Op-ed: Women and climate action

Date: Friday, November 9, 2018

Women and girls bear the brunt of the impacts of climate change. Empowering women to fulfil their potential must therefore be at the heart of adaptation strategies More