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SARAJEVO, November 24 (FENA) - From 25 November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, International Human Rights Day, UN Women in BiH, in cooperation with partners, will be conducting the campaign "Let’s turn off violence against women and girls together".
The activities are part of the global campaign "16 days of activism against gender-based violence”, which calls for an end to all forms of violence against women and girls.
The focus of this year's campaign in BiH is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the increase in violence against women and girls.
The campaign emphasizes the importance of ensuring unrestricted access to services for survivors of violence in time of crisis, as well the contribution of the broader community to the prevention of violence against women, with a particular focus on the media.
The start of the campaign “Turn off violence against women and girls together” was marked with an online event, with opening words by H.E. Johanna Strömquist, Ambassador of Sweden in BiH, Mr. John Kennedy Mosoti, UNFPA Representative in BiH, and Mr. David Saunders, UN Women Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"Women are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and this is especially true when it comes to violence against women when households are placed under strain. In times of crisis, it is essential to ensure that women and girls receive much-needed support and protection. We will continue to support the elimination of all types of violence against women and girls in Bosnia and Herzegovina,“ said H.E. Johanna Strömquist, ambassador of Sweden in BiH.
“The COVID-19 crisis has forced all of us to socially distance and to stay at home. As a result, violence at home has only increased. Safehouse workers continue to support women and girls who seek help in this crisis, they are overloaded, and they are risking their lives to help others. UN Women is proud to work with local municipal and civil society service providers who struggle to support every woman and girl who faces domestic violence. All survivors must receive the help they need and deserve, especially in times of crisis. Violence is never acceptable,“ said David Saunders, UN Women Representative in BiH.
A panel discussion at the event, which focused on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on violence against women, featured participation by Joško Mandić, expert advisor at Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina of the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Jasmina Mujezinović, executive director of Foundation of Local Democracy from Sarajevo and Radmila Žigić, director of the foundation “Lara” from Bijeljina.
One of the conclusions of the discussion was that all members of society – government, civil society, private sector, and the media, play an important role in the elimination of violence against women and girls, and that all should work together so private and public spaces can be safe for women and girls.
The campaign “Let’s turn off violence against women and girls together” is also taking place on UN Women BiH social media channels – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, where representatives of the civil sector, media and international community will send strong messages with the goal to raise awareness on violence against women and girls during the COVID-19 pandemic with the motto #turnoffviolence.
Also, as a part of the campaign, close cooperation with local media from 11 BiH municipalities will be realized with the goal to raise awareness on violence against women on the local level, and strengthen the capacities of media experts for responsible reporting on gender-based violence, stated the UN Women BiH.
(FENA) S. R.
