The 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence begin today (Sunday) with elaborate programmes chalked out by different human rights organisations.
This year's UN theme, 'Orange the World:#HearMeToo' will amplify voices, bringing many more actions and solutions forward during the period between November 25 and December 10.
UN Women and Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP) have drawn up various programmes on the occasion.
The theme calls to honour and further strengthen these voices, to listen to and believe survivors, to end the culture of silencing and impunity, and to put survivors at the centre of the conversation and response, according to a press release issued by the UN Women Dhaka office.
It aims to broaden the global conversation and highlight the voices and activism of all survivors of violence and advocates around the world-many of whom are often missing from the media headlines and social media discussions.
Research shows that violence against women and girls affects one in three women worldwide and that no country is immune to this pandemic, instead of holding perpetrators accountable.
"The fear of reprisals, of not being believed, and the stigma borne by the survivor-not the perpetrator-have silenced the voices of millions of survivors of violence and masked the true extent of women's continued horrific experiences," said UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
Meanwhile, BMP said violence against women and girls is increasing in Bangladesh alarmingly.
It will observe the days with a slogan 'rape and sexual harassment is crime against humanity' across the country.
16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls. The campaign runs every year from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day.
It was initiated in 1991 by the first Women's Global Leadership Institute, held by the Centre for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL) at Rutgers University.
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