NEWSFLASH 22.11.2013: Global Impact Report Launched!  Watch and share our film "Violence Against Women and Girls – a year to Make a difference" and visit the report website: www.soroptimistinternational.org/impact. 

 

 

Soroptimist
International will be joining thousands of organisations around the world in
taking part in 16 Days of Activism
Against Gender Violence, campaigning at local, national and international
levels to END violence against women and girls.

 

SI
will be officially launching this year’s
Global Impact Report, during the 16 days, which focusses on violence against women and girls. We will be highlighting the report’s findings and featured
case studies of Soroptimist projects to tackle gender-violence.

This
year’s Global Impact Report will be produced entirely online for the first
time, which means that the case studies and research will be easy to share and
promote via social media. A new
Soroptimist film on violence against women and girls will be launched as
part of the GIR.

Soroptimists
around the world can help to create a social media storm of messages to say NO
to VAWG and yes to a future free from violence. We
hope the biggest impact will be on 25
November, the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against
Women.

These
16 Days of Activism, which link 25 November (International Day Against Violence
Against Women) with 10 December (International Human Rights Day), are
co-ordinated by The Center of Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers University,
USA.

Let’s Create a Virtual Storm!

By
showering social media networks with messages and actions we draw attention to
the global crisis of VAWG, mobilise local and international communities to say
NO,  and highlight initiatives that prevent violence and support survivors. Media
outlets also take notice of social media trends.

You
can use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or your club website to share reports,
pictures and videos of your projects or events. Pass on useful information of
work you admire, facts on local VAWG or inspiring quotes or case studies.

Even
if you’re not a social media user yourself, you can participate by taking part
in offline events and uploading reports to the PFR system, as well as emailing
SI with pictures or reports of what you’re doing, or how your club has helped
to tackle violence against women throughout the year.

Action Ideas

1.   Read and share
the Global Impact Report, which
will focus on violence against women and girls and will be launched during the
16 days:

• Show and share
  SI’s new film on violence against women and girls, which will be launched with the GIR.
  Embed it on your website and encourage local partner organisations to do the
  same.
• Highlight Soroptimist
  International’s global impact in tackling VAWG! The Global Impact Report’s
  “In Focus” section on VAWG, shows how educating, empowering and enabling
  opportunities for women and girls is making a difference around the world.
• Share Soroptimist VAWG projects from around the
  world. The Global Impact Report will include case studies of successful
  local, national and federation-wide projects.  

2.   
Tell people about your local VAWG projects.

• Publish a news story on your club website, share info
  on social media or even write a letter to your local paper to highlight that
  VAWG is an issue in YOUR area.
• Post ideas, success stories, individual stories,
  inspiring quotes and  photographs of any
  club activities to stop VAWG (not just those planned during 16 days of
  activism)

3.   Tweet (and
Facebook) up a storm! If you’re on Twitter or Facebook, use the hash tags
#16days and #Soroptimist to share posts like these:

• 1
  in 3 women worldwide will experience violence in their lifetime?  Enough is enough #16Days #EndVAWG #Soroptimist
• 1 in 5 women will be a victim of rape or attempted
  rape in her lifetime #16days #Soroptimist
• Violence kills and disables as many women between the
  ages of 15 and 44 as cancer #16days
• An estimated 100 to 140 million girls & women
  worldwide live with the consequences of female genital mutilation #16days
• Don’t forget to re-tweet/share posts by other Soroptimists
  or related organisations too, or share links to articles or websites of
  interest

4.Support the UN : Orange the World in
16 Days

The
UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign has
proclaimed 25th of every month as “Orange Day” – a day to take action to raise
awareness and prevent violence against women and girls. From 25 November to 10
December, the UN wants your help to make these actions bigger, bolder, and
global.

Go
orange for any event during the 16 days of activism: wear orange, give out
orange ribbons in your market square, have a stall with orange products to
raise funds for a local refuge….whatever you do, make sure you increase the
impact by taking photos/video and sharing via social media.

5.    Build
a local coalition to fight VAW over 16 days and take part in one of the
following activities with other activists:

• Put up posters: "It’s time
  to talk about it. Talk early, talk often. Prevent sexual violence.”
• Stage a men and women
  demonstration against VAWG (you may need to get permission to demonstrate
  first). You may find the Enough
  is Enough resources – placards, flyers etc – from International Women’s
  Day useful.
• Collect funds at a local market
  on Nov 25th and give out leaflets and orange ribbons

Read more about Soroptimist International work to eliminate violence against women and girls.

Monthly Focus: Violence Against Women: Awareness and Education as Prevention