For the of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (25 Nov – 10 Dec),
Best of the 16 Days of Activism
collaborated with documentary photographer and visual artist Etinosa Yvonne on a multimedia storytelling project "Unheard Voices From Nigeria" for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. The Abuja-based Etinosa interviewed, photographed, and filmed 16 women in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in northeastern Nigeria, a region afflicted by insurgent groups that have forced millions to flee their homes. For too long, the stories of these women—child marriage, domestic abuse, abduction and rape—have gone untold. Breaking the silence starts now. Each day through 10 December, one woman's story will be released.
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25 November) marks the launch of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, to conclude on the International Human Rights Day (10 December). This year, under the title , the focuses on amplifying the call for global action to bridge funding gaps, ensuring essential services for survivors of violence during the COVID-19 crisis, and strengthening prevention and collection of data that can improve life-saving services for women and girls.
Violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified since the outbreak of COVID-19. As cases continue to strain health services, essential services, such as domestic violence shelters and helplines, have reached capacity. In the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November), we all must commit to prioritize addressing this issue in our response to the crisis. UN Women provides up-to-date information and support to vital programmes to .
In Palestine, it is widely understood that vulnerability to breast cancer can be hereditary. As a result, some women avoid getting screened because they fear a breast cancer diagnosis could affect their daughters’ marriage prospects. Women with breast cancer have also faced gender-based violence and abandonment. A showed that breast cancer stigma is a major cause of delayed detection and treatment.
shines a light on the need for funding, essential services, prevention and data that shapes better-informed responses to violence against women and girls.
Women and girls in Honduras are at high risk in the aftermath of Hurricane Eta. More than 400,000 women have been directly affected by the widespread destruction and are now left without access to essential health services. More than 1.6 million people throughout the country have been affected. Some 12,000 are now staying in shelters, a precarious situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. UNFPA is supporting a rapid needs assessment and working to restore access to sexual and reproductive health services.
One stillbirth happens every 16 seconds. That’s about 2 million babies stillborn every year. What makes these deaths even more tragic is that the majority could have been prevented through quality care during pregnancy and at birth. Beyond the devastating loss of life, the psychological and financial costs for women, families and societies are severe and long lasting. Here are the .
Chief Inspector Doreen Malambo from Zambia, who serves as the Gender Adviser at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), has won 2020 UN Woman Police Officer of the Year Award, in honour of her work supporting vulnerable groups, such as women, girls, children, and people with disabilit
The UN Security Council marks two decades since the landmark resolution 1325, which for the first time, enshrined the essential role of women in securing and maintaining peace. ¹ú²úAV is a prerequisite for health, equality and human security. Women are working against tremendous odds to build and sustain peace, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. supports the global ceasefire called by the Secretary-General and the feminist organizations on the ground: disarmament, arms control and shifting military spending to social investment.
‘How we learned to dream again in Rwanda’
Though women are active agents of peace, their leadership remains largely unrecognized. UN ¹ú²úAVkeeping continues to push for their full, equal and meaningful participation in peace processes.
Today, the UN Security Council marks 20 years since the historic vote that recognized, for the first time, the unique impact conflict has on women and the critical role they play in conflict prevention and resolution. The Council will convene its annual Open Debate on to ensure a COVID-19 response that is truly inclusive and rooted in the power of women-led peace, as a transformative opportunity towards a more, sustainable and equitable world. on 29 October, at 10:00 a.m. EDT.
In Pakistan, women are major contributors to agricultural production and food security for their families, but like many other nations, the COVID pandemic has exacerbated an already alarming gender gap there. Mina Dowlatchahi, Food and Agriculture Organization () Representative to Pakistan, explains to Charlotta Lomas, , despite the corrosive impact of the pandemic.