FAO celebrates the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence

This year FAO RNE marked its participation in the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign through several raising awareness initiatives. Thanks to one of them, launched by the RNE Gender Specialists, colleagues from the regional and country offices literally “put their faces” in support of the campaign, to show their commitment to end violence against women and girls. As shown in the picture, many of them took a selfie, wearing something orange and holding one of the messages associated with the campaign, which this year took place under the global theme: "Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!".

It is worth to remind thatthe campaign takes place every year, starting from the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November. The campaign lasts until 10 December, Human Rights Day, as a reminder that violence against women is still one the most pervasive violations of human rights worldwide.

As the world retreated inside homes due to the lockdown measures introduced to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, country reports showed an alarming increase in the already existing pandemic of violence against women. That’s why this year, more than ever, it was important to raise awareness and galvanize advocacy efforts. For this reason, FAO coordinated with the other UN entities to develop a social media package and a video message by several UN Goodwill Ambassadors, including FAO’s, which were successfully and widely disseminated through its website and social media platforms.

On 7 December, FAO and WFP also organized the webinar “What do men have to do with it? A reflection on masculinities and gender-based violence”, to explore, thanks to a panel of experts, how rigid gender roles and certain expressions of masculinities contribute normalize violence against women, and to learn more about approaches that specifically engage with men and boys to win their support for ending gender-based violence and promoting gender equality.