{"id":13997,"date":"2020-11-25T08:30:43","date_gmt":"2020-11-25T07:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rnw.media\/?post_type=news&p=13997"},"modified":"2020-11-25T08:30:43","modified_gmt":"2020-11-25T07:30:43","slug":"call-to-action-to-eliminate-gbv","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.rnw.media\/index.php\/news\/call-to-action-to-eliminate-gbv\/","title":{"rendered":"Call to action to eliminate GBV"},"content":{"rendered":"

Violence against women and girls is one of the world\u2019s most widespread and devastating human rights violations. It\u2019s a violation that takes many forms – from rape to forced marriage, street harassment to cyber-harassment, sexual slavery to female genital mutilation. Whatever forms it takes, it can impact the lives of women and girls no matter what their social or cultural circumstances. Today, November 25, is the UN\u2019s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the beginning of the global campaign 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We are marking the day with another call in our 6-month Instagram campaign #MyStoryForAStory (#MijnStoryVoorEenStory) which encourages young people in the Netherlands to show solidarity with\u202ftheir peers in restrictive countries. Dutch influencers are sharing stories from young people in our target countries and asking their followers to share these stories further. The campaign aims to encourage deeper engagement among young people with international development efforts through creating awareness of the ways young people in difficult situations work to bring about change for the better in their societies.<\/p>\n

Speaking out
\n<\/strong>Today we are sharing a video<\/a> from a young Syrian woman who describes the daily experience of being harassed from the moment she walks out of her home, and encouraging women to share their stories and eliminate gender- based violence (GBV). The reluctance of women to share their experience of sexual harassment and violence due to the shame and stigma that surround it is a major obstacle in the fight against GBV. According to the UN, 1 in 3 women and girls experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, however such violence is rarely reported, perpetrators go unpunished and a culture of impunity surrounds GBV. There is also a critical lack of support for victims, with less than half of women who experience violence seeking help from health services, family, friends or even police.<\/p>\n

Addressing the issues<\/strong>
\nRNW Media\u2019s global network of online platforms and communities all work to address the many issues around GBV with content and campaigns created to meet the specific needs of the local context. In China, for instance, our Justice4Her platform works to support women migrant workers and improve their access to support and justice. Via China\u2019s social media channels Justice4Her raises awareness of GBV with specially created multi-media content presenting different perspectives<\/a>.<\/p>\n