Page 17 - En-38

ELITE

What does the campaign call for? How can we participate?
People often think that the violence that women are As previously mentioned, one can show support for
calling for its stopping is physical violence. However, the cause by wearing orange clothes or accessories or
this is a limited perspective; for the campaign aims to through sharing posts that highlight different forms of
call for the stop of all different forms of violence violence that women face daily, such as verbal and
which include but are not limited to physical, sexual, physical sexual harassment, female genital mutilation,
psychological violence, as well as economic abuse and domestic abuse, rape and many more.
exploitation. People are also encouraged to share posters and
It has become of utmost importance that we raise artwork relating to the cause, change their profile
awareness regarding the importance of eradicating pictures on social media to orange to raise awareness
violence against women, especially now with the and utilize the different hashtags like
increase in the levels of violence against women due to #OrangeTheWorld to highlight the number of people
the economic repercussions of Covid-19. who commit to the cause and support it.
It was clear even before the Covid-19 pandemic began Moreover, iconic monuments and buildings get
that a new shadow pandemic - as the UN called it- was ‘oranged’ to signify a brighter future for all women
on the rise. Where globally according to the UN, 1 in 3 and girls. Some of the buildings that were ‘oranged’
women experienced physical or sexual violence mostly include the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx in Egypt,
by an intimate partner and the numbers have only been the Dragon and Han River bridges in Vietnam, the
on the rise ever since then. Europa Building in Belgium and the Empire State
That is why during the 16 Days of Activism, people Building in the USA.
around the world unite to raise awareness about
gender-based violence, challenge discriminatory
attitudes and call for improved laws and services to
end violence against women for good.
What is Orange The World?
One way for people to show their support for the cause
is through participating in the “Orange the World”
Campaign which was launched by the UN Secretary-
General’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against
Women. Orange was chosen to symbolize a brighter
future, free of violence. It also serves as a means of
demonstrating your solidarity in eliminating all forms
of violence and it is therefore used as the color of the
International Day for the Elimination of Violence
against Women.
16