Violence against women and 16 days of activism

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Watch the recording of the webinar here

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day. This year it seems even more necessary than ever as the COVID-19 induced lock-down has further intensified domestic gender-based violence. Despite the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women adopted in 1993, an estimated 243 million women worldwide have been subjected to intimate partner violence in 2019. Recently, 34 countries signed the so-called Geneva Consensus Declaration which seeks to strengthen the ‘family as the foundational unit of society’ and to protect ‘every nation’s national sovereignty in global politics’ – an initiative directed against international agreements and norms on gender equality in both public and private affairs.

Denmark strongly supports the various UN Declarations and promotes vigorously sexual and reproductive health and rights as part of its international development cooperation. Yet, gender-based violence is still a widespread phenomenon in Denmark. The webinar concentrates on the experience of seeking to eliminate violence against women in a Danish context. What initiatives work? How are men mobilized around the issue? Do public authorities take the issue seriously? How is violence against women raised as an important concern in a society believing that no such violence takes place?

Speakers
Mette Marie Yde, Deputy Director, Danner
Lise Johansen, Director, Kvinderådet
Meron Zeleke, Assistant Professor, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Lars Engberg-Pedersen, Senior Researcher, DIIS

Programme
16.00-16.05     Welcome, Lars Engberg-Pedersen
16.05-16.20     The significance of gender-based violence in Denmark, Mette Marie Yde
16.20-16.35     Mobilising against gender-based violence, Lise Johansen
16.35-16.50     International comment, Meron Zelek
16.50-17.30     Questions, comments and answers

Recorded Wednesday 9 December 2020, 16.00-17.30.