Say NO - UNiTE to End Violence against Women

Visitors to the Say NO - UNiTE website can view a count of actions taking place in communities around the world to raise awareness about violence against women (VAW) and to end it. Actions are varied and include: petition drives for legislation, reaching out to students at schools, volunteering at local shelters or women's organisations, spreading the message through blogs and tweets, and donating funds towards programmes that protect women and girls from violence. Details are available on the project website about all the actions, such as one taking place on November 25 2009, when Soroptimist International of Newport Harbor Area "paper[ed] the town purple" - the colour associated with domestic violence - as they joined with Soroptimists all over the world to distribute purple cards with domestic abuse prevention information to local businesses, in women's restrooms, and, if possible, in employee paychecks. They also distributed information leaflets in workplaces to assist employers and co-workers to provide resources for helping abused women. As an organisation of working women whose mission is to improve the lives of women and girls, Soroptimist specifically targets the workplace in its action, which coincides with the United Nations-designated International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women.

The Say NO toolkit and other online resources offered by the campaign are designed to help guide advocacy efforts. One may find out what is happening nearby by searching for actions in a particular city or country and also add one's own. The idea is to inspire people to take action as they view the number of actions posted and counted on the website continue to grow through people contributing ideas for initiatives people can start. New social media tools are also being used to connect those passionate about ending VAW; Say NO has a presence on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

One example of an action organised as part of Say NO - UNiTE is the 2015 "Orange the World" campaign from November 25 to December 10, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence. (Click here for a toolkit in PDF format.). Using the colour designated by the UNiTE campaign to symbolise a brighter future without violence, organisers ask people around the world to reach out to friends and partner organisations in order to plan local and national "orange" events: project orange lights on city landmarks, organise "orange parades", "orange" schools and sports events with youth and sports clubs, wear orange ties and scarfs, put orange balloons in meeting rooms, etc. Say NO - UNiTE says: "If you are organizing panel events ask the speakers to wear orange, and turn your social media accounts orange for the 16 days! We encourage you to create 'orange partnerships' and to use these events to raise awareness about the global pandemic of violence against women and girls, and the solutions that can end it. Tweet your photos, messages and videos to us @SayNO_UNiTE - they will be showcased on an 'Orange Map' on the UNiTE website to show how quickly we are 'oranging the world'."

For example, in 2015, some events have included: a benefit concert for the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women set against an orange stage at Carnegie Hall in New York, United States, and the lighting of the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. Orange events are planned in more than 70 countries around the world ahead of and throughout the 16 days. They will include the orange lighting of major landmarks like Niagara Falls (Canada/United States), the European Commission building (Belgium) and the Council of Europe building (France), the archeological ruins at Petra (Jordan), the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and the Palais de Justice (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Other events planned range from the "oranging" of bus stops in Timor-Leste, to marathons in Venezuela, to spontaneous orange flash mobs in Indonesia.

Women, Rights.

According to UNIFEM:

• Based on country data available, up to 70% of women experience physical or sexual violence from men in their lifetime. A World Health Organization (WHO) study of 24,000 women in 10 countries found that the prevalence of physical and/or sexual violence by a partner varied from 15% in urban Japan to 71% in rural Ethiopia, with most areas being in the 30-60% range.
• Rape and domestic violence are reportedly a higher risk for women aged 15 to 44 than cancer, traffic accidents, or malaria.
• In Rwanda, up to half a million women were raped during the 1994 genocide.
• Worldwide, 140 million women and girls alive today have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM).
• It is estimated that 5,000 women are victims of so-called "honour killings" every year.
• In the United States, the costs of medical care and productivity loss due to intimate partner violence exceed US$5.8 billion per year.