Unite to end violence against women and girls!

The UN Office in Azerbaijan is carrying out 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.

The campaign with the “Unite to end violence against women and girls!” slogan organized by the UN agencies together with The State Committee for Family, Women, and Children's Issues aims at drawing the attention of society to the issue of violence against women and girls and to call for action to combat it.

Vladanka Andrevaa, the UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, stated that violence against women and girls remains one of the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations experienced by almost one in three women.

“In Azerbaijan, the United Nations is working together with the Government, civil society, and development partners to prevent, mitigate, and respond to violence against women and girls. Progress has been made, but we need more allies to say no to gender-based violence,” Vladanka Andreeva added.

The 16 Days of Activism, which started on November 25 - International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, will continue until December 10 - International Human Rights Day.

Within the framework of the campaign, the heads of UN agencies participate in discussions dedicated to combating violence against women and girls, organized with the support of the Women's Resource Centers operating in different regions of Azerbaijan.

"Starting from November 25th, we aim to draw public attention to our year-round fight with our partners against all manifestations of violence against women and girls. By combining our efforts, we can effectively implement and sustain the legal and normative framework to combat gender-based violence," said Bahar Muradova, Chairperson of the State Committee on Family, Women, and Children's Issues.

The Commissioner for the Human Rights Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Ombudsman) also joined this year's 16 Days Activism.

Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva emphasized that violence, hurting people's lives, personality, spirituality, future, development, and progress of society, is one of the critical issues that must be solved on a global scale: "Cases of violence against women violate not only human rights but also have economic and social consequences. Unfortunately, women and girls experience the greatest pain and impact of such violence."

Within the 16 Days of Activism framework, the UN Office in Azerbaijan has launched the Orange T-shirt Challenge on social media platforms.

The UN Office in Azerbaijan urges all members of society to combat violence against women not just for 16 days but for all 365 days.