International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

 

 

 

The 25th of November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, marks the launch of a 16-day campaign to end violence against women worldwide.

 

Over the years, the programs and interventions of the Chris Oyakhilome Foundation International (COFI) and the InnerCity Mission (ICM), in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have impacted the lives of millions of indigent beneficiaries around the world in underserved, hard-to-reach communities.

 

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is one of the most widespread, persistent, and devastating human rights violations in our world today remains largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma, and shame surrounding it.

 

To raise awareness, this year’s theme for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is “Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now!“. Orange is our color to represent a brighter future free of violence against women and girls.

 

Violence against women manifests itself in physical, sexual, and psychological forms. The adverse psychological, sexual, and general health consequences of violence against women and girls affect women at all stages of their life. From early-set educational disadvantages, which not only affects general schooling and the right to education for girls; down the line, it also snowballs into restricting access to higher education, which inevitably translates into limited opportunities for women in the labor market and workforce.

 

Domestic chores, especially for girls, and the work required to run households or farms, can also prevent children from getting sufficient learning time. As with previous pandemics, COVID-19 has shown that education institution closures represent an increased risk for women and girls, as they are more vulnerable to multiple types of abuse, such as domestic violence, transactional sex, and early and forced marriages.

 

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

 

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by world leaders in 2015 embody a roadmap for progress that is sustainable and leaves no one behind.

 

The Chris Oyakhilome Foundation International (COFI), was founded by Chris Oyakhilome, to help individuals, communities, and nations lead purposeful and productive lives. The same international organizations that set the poverty line made it a global goal to end extreme poverty and other major development goals. Goal number one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed on by all nations in the world, is the “eradication of extreme poverty for all people everywhere”.

 

Achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment is integral to each of the 17 goals. Only by ensuring the rights of women and girls across all the goals will we get to justice and inclusion, economies that work for all, and sustaining our shared environment now and for future generations.

 

Chris Oyakhilome, the President of LoveWorld Inc, made a profound statement “Every Child is your Child”, believes in the future of indigent children, and taking action to reach and meet their needs is one of the core motivations.

 

Violence against women continues to be an obstacle to achieving equality, development, peace as well as to the fulfillment of women and girls’ human rights. All in all, the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – to leave no one behind – cannot be fulfilled without putting an end to violence against women and girls.

 

As in previous years, this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women launches 16 days of activism which will run until the 10^th of December 2020, the day that commemorates International Human Rights Day.