Combating Gender Based Violence in the South Caucasus Project in Armenia

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“16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence” Campaign in Armenia
The global movement against gender violence is gathering momentum every year as more and more people worldwide join their voices to say “NO” to violence against women by participating in a wide range of activities within the framework of “16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence” Campaign which starts on November 25th and ends December 10th.

The Campaign covers the following dates:

November 25 – International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women;
December 1 – World AIDS Day;
December 2 – International Day for Abolition of Slavery;
December 6 – Anniversary of Montreal Massacre, and
December 10 – International Human Rights Day.

Since 1991 well over 2000 organizations in more than 160 countries have participated in the annual global campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence” that calls for the elimination of all forms of violence against women. In 2000 the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence was introduced in the Caucasus.

16 Days Campaign is aimed at:

Raising awareness and knowledge of the Armenian population about gender violence in all its forms by exposing the unrecognized violations of women’s human rights in Armenia and changing attitudes about violence against women;
Gaining both the commitment and the recognition by government that violence against women, whether by public or private perpetrators, is a human rights violation and that signing and ratification of international treaties accomplishes little without simultaneous substantive changes in national legal frameworks;
Strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations to effectively advocate for and implement violence prevention programs;
Encouraging the Mass Media to promote national awareness of the issue and ways to end gender based violence;
Facilitating collaboration among women’s, human rights and health organizations as well as professionals dealing with violence against women; and
Providing the public and civil society with opportunity to join efforts in combating gender based violence.

The White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) is the largest effort in the world of men working to end violence against women (VAW). In over 55 countries, campaigns are led by both men and women, with a focus on educating men and boys. In some countries it is a general public education effort focused on ending violence against women.

How did the WRC campaign get started?
In 1991, a handful of men in Canada decided they had a responsibility to urge men to speak out about violence against women. Wearing a white ribbon would be a symbol of men's opposition to violence against women. With only six weeks of preparation, 100,000 men across Canada wore a white ribbon, while many others were drawn into discussion and debate.

What does it mean to wear a white ribbon?
Wearing a white ribbon is a personal pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls. Wearing a white ribbon is a way of saying, “Our future has no violence against women.”

What is the goal of WRC? How is this accomplished?
The main goal of WRC is ending violence against women in all its forms. We accomplish this in five ways:

•    Challenging everyone to speak out and think about their own beliefs, language, and actions;
•    Educating young people, especially young men and boys, on the issue through the educational resources we produce;
•    Raising public awareness of the issue;
•    Working in partnership with women’s organizations, the corporate sector, the media and other partners to create a future with no violence against women; and
•    Supporting White Ribbon Campaigns with our experience, resources and networks.

Source: The White Ribbon Campaign Official Website on http://www.whiteribbon.ca