By Charles Gbayor, maorethason1997@gmail.com
HARPER, Liberia- The Ministry of Gender and Social Protection in Collaboration with Partners ends 30th Anniversary celebration of the 16 days Activism in this southeastern city with street parade by students and other stakeholders.
Held under the theme: Orange the World, End Violence Against Women Now”, the local office of the Gender Ministry and Partners held a colourful closing celebration in the commercial city, Pleebo.
The celebration started with parade in the principal streets of the city and was climaxed at the St. Francis Parish Hall with the an indoor program.
Described by organizers as successful, the program brought together many participants include Children, Youth groups, Women groups, LRRRC, UNHCR, PIH Liberia, WFP Tubman University Gender/Counseling among others.
Julian Morais Johnson, Protection Assistant Community Service at the UNHCR, who gave an overview of the program, said that the 16 Days of Activism, said that Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which started November 25 and ended on December 10, 2021, Human Rights Day.
“It started by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and continues to be coordinated each year by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership, therefore, It is used as an organizing strategy by individuals and organizations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls,” Mrs. Johnson said.
She emphasized that in support of this civil society initiative, the United Nations Secretary-General’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women campaign (UNiTE campaign) calls for global actions to increase awareness, galvanize advocacy efforts, and share knowledge and innovations.
“The global theme for this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, which ends today is “Orange the world: End violence against woman and girls now!” Mrs. Johnson stressed.
“Enough is Enough!: Let’s act now to end violence against women, girls, children and other Marginalized Group,” she added.
The Keynote speaker, Mrs. Garmai Cyrus-Biddle from Partners in Health asserted that violence against women is the result of a deeply entrenched patriarchal culture that encourages and rewards male domination.
“My deepest Congratulations to the Ministry of Gender and Children Protection locally for affording me this kind opportunity to speak to you on this program as a guest Speaker, I’m therefore, calling on everyone to please avoid the below Violence’s against Women, Physical, Psychological, Verbal abuse, Sexual, Financial abuse, Emotional, Cultural Violence’s and many more,” the keynote speaker explained.
Mrs. Cyrus-Biddle lamented that violence affects millions of women all over the world.
According to her, it affects women from all cultures, religions, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.
It is said that female-targeted violence was acknowledged in December 1993 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women.
At the Beijing Conference (September 1995) Governments declared that “violence against women constitutes a violation of basic human rights and is an obstacle to the achievement of the objectives of equality, development and peace.