Hand over the mic: Taking a stand to end violence against women and girls

Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2020

For the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (25 Nov – 10 Dec), and as part of the Generation Equality campaign, UN Women is handing over the microphone to five individuals who are working to end discrimination, sexual assault, domestic violence and harassment. Hear their stories in this Hand over the Mic video series and then join us in taking a stand to end all forms of violence against women and girls.

Urgent action needed to end pandemic of femicide and violence against women, says UN expert

Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is overshadowing the pandemic of femicides and gender-based violence against women and girls, Dubravka Šimonovic, special rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, said today, calling for the establishment of national femicide watches or observatories around the world to prevent such killings.

Addressing the economic fallout of COVID-19: Pathways and policy options for a gender-responsive recovery

Date: Monday, November 23, 2020

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka urges G20 leaders to take this opportunity to rebuild better, creating sustainable economies and reducing inequalities between and within countries.

Statement by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women Executive Director, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Date: Monday, November 23, 2020

In a statement for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka writes: "As we face COVID-19’s devastation, there has never been a more important moment to resolve to put our combined resources and commitment behind the biggest issues, and to end violence against women and girls, for good."

Media Advisory: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 25 November, will call for urgent actions to Fund, Respond, Prevent and Collect data to address gender-based violence in the context of COVID-19

Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2020

The UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE Campaign to End Violence against Women will commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November. The International Day and virtual event will kickstart the global mobilization of the 16 Days of Activism campaign – running from 25 November until 10 December – under the theme: “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!”.

Hand over the mic: Women on the front lines of violence against women during COVID-19

Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Along with UN Women, our UN partners are working to end violence against women and girls. Hear from women leaders who are part of UN programmes from Kosovo to Kenya, who highlight what they need to stop the escalating violence, recover and rebuild after COVID-19.

Take action: 10 ways you can help end violence against women, even during a pandemic

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Ending violence against women is everyone’s business. Here are just ten ways you can make a difference, safely and impactfully.

Hand over the mic to: Naruthai Tansukasem, Thailand

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Naruthai Tansukasem, 20, became a singer in the girls-led band, ‘Siamese Kittenz’, at age 12, with a passion for stage performance and dancing. After being in the group for six years, she quit because of the online harassment that’s all too common and often unaddressed in the entertainment industry.

Hand over the mic to: Aisha, Kenya

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Aisha*, 12 years old, is now living in a shelter in the coastal region of Kenya, with 34 other children who have experienced gender-based violence. When schools closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, these girls fell victims to sexual abuse within their homes.

Hand over the mic to: Teodora Stojilković, Serbia

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Teodora Stojilković, 18, is a student and women’s right activist from Bujanovac, Serbia. She was one of the ambassadors of the “Women Talk” campaign, supported by UN Women, and is currently serving as a WAVE Youth Ambassador as part of the EU-UN Women regional programme on ending violence against women in the Western Balkans and Turkey that targets changing social norms.

Hand over the mic to: Aida Nour ElDin, Egypt

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Aida Nour ElDin is the Chairperson of the Women and Development Association (WDA), a grassroots civil society organization that specializes in providing various services to survivors of violence and raising community awareness in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Egypt.

What happened after COVID-19 hit: Nepal

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Women’s land rights are key to their economic independence and better decision-making power within families. In many parts of the world, research shows that lack of land rights makes women more vulnerable to gender-based violence. Dhana*, 38, is among the 218 gender-based violence survivors who have received life-saving assistance from the ‘Provision of Emergency Legal Assistance to Survivors of Gender-Based Violence in the COVID-19 Context’ project run by Forum for Women, Law and Development in Nepal.

What happened after COVID-19 hit: Lebanon

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Meserat Hailu, was 29 years old when she travelled to Beirut, Lebanon as an Ethiopian migrant domestic worker. For more than eight years, she suffered abuse by her employer until Legal Action Worldwide received word of her situation and took up her case and demanded her release.

What happened after COVID-19: Albania

Date: Monday, November 16, 2020

Jana Kote* and her three children lived with an abusive husband and father for 12 years until they received support from a local organization, Human Rights in Democracy Centre, based in Tirana, the capital of Albania.

UN Women Executive Director appeals to governments worldwide to take action to end violence against women and girls

Date: Monday, November 16, 2020

In a letter addressed to Member States of the United Nations and the Head of Delegation of the European Union, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka urged Heads of State/Governments worldwide to take tangible actions and express their commitments to end violence against women, on the occasion of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (25 November – 10 December).

What happened after COVID-19 hit: Malawi

Date: Monday, November 16, 2020

In Malawi, thirty-one-year old Alepher Matemba Banda is a nurse responding to a hotline at Chipatala cha pa foni, a national health helpline. Banda was among 40 helpline nurses and technicians who received training in gender-based violence and health, through a UN Women initiative funded by the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office.

What happened after COVID-19 hit: Thailand

Date: Monday, November 16, 2020

Naiyapak Chaipan works for the 1300 Hotline, managed by the Thai government’s Social Assistance Centre that assists women seeking to leave abusive and violent situations. Ms. Chaipan’s work has doubled as the COVID-19 lockdown and travel restrictions have left many women confined with their abusers at home. Like in many other countries, the hotline has become a critically essential platform to provide information and refer survivors to the support services they require.

Hand over the mic to: Aras Kocaoğlan, Turkey

Date: Monday, November 16, 2020

Aras Kocaoğlan is a marketing manager and the founder of the Instagram account, Turkish Dictionary, that reaches around 400,000 Turkish and international followers. Alongside UN Women, Kocaoğlan sparks conversations on social media about commonly used Turkish proverbs and expressions that discriminate against women and girls.

What happened after COVID-19 hit: Bolivia

Date: Monday, November 16, 2020

Yobanca Fernandez Flores has been a women’s rights activist for more than 35 years. She is also the National President of the Community Promoters for the Prevention of Gender-based Violence in Bolivia. Together with hundreds of women leaders in the country, the Community Promoters have formed a network of advocates who provide direct support to victims and survivors of gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are Generation Equality: Champions for ending violence against women

Date: Monday, November 16, 2020

For the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, we are featuring some of the leaders and groundbreakers who added their voices to UN Women’s Generation Equality movement, and take action to fight violence against women and girls.