DUSHANBE, November 26, 2012, Asia-Plus – A campaign formally entitled “The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence” has been launched in Tajikistan.
The campaign kicked off in Dushanbe on November 25 but an official opening of the campaign is taking place at the Javonon movie theater in Dushanbe today under support of the Committee for Youth, Sports and Tourism Affairs under the Government of Tajikistan.
The campaign will conclude in Qurghon Teppa, the capital of Khatlon province on December 10.
The Prevention Domestic Violence (PDV) project, which is being implemented in Tajikistan by the branch of German consulting firm GOPA under financial support of the Swiss Cooperation Office, is organizing a number of activities to raise awareness of domestic violence among the Tajik population at both national and regional levels.
A debate meeting took place in Dushanbe on November 25 and roundtables to discuss Tajikistan’s draft domestic violence law will take place in Dushanbe on November 29 and in Qurghon Teppa on December 10.
The campaign schedule also includes holding of four roundtables in the Bokhtar and Vakhsh districts, Khatlon province.
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership in 1991. Participants chose the dates November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and December 10, International Human Rights Day, in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a human rights violation.
This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates, including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre.
The 16 Days Campaign has been commemorated by individuals and groups around the world who use a human rights framework to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women by: raising awareness at the local, national, regional and international levels; strengthening local work; linking local and global work: providing a forum for dialogue and strategy-sharing; pressuring governments to implement commitments made in national and international legal instruments; and demonstrating the solidarity of activists around the world.
The 2012 16 Days Campaign continues with the global theme: From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let’s Challenge Militarism and End Violence Against Women! This year’s Campaign marks our third year of advocacy on the intersections of gender-based violence and militarism.
The sub-themes of the Campaign are: sexual and gender-based violence committed by state agents, particularly the police or military; proliferation of small arms and their role in domestic violence; and sexual violence in and after conflict.
Over 4,100 organizations in approximately 172 countries have reportedly participated in the 16 Days Campaign since 1991.
