On Nov 25, 2021, Heartland Alliance International (HAI) and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) organized a launch event for the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Kirkuk center. In honor of the campaign’s 30th anniversary, UNHCR’s Kirkuk field office opened the event with a brief summary of the history and evolution of the effort.
Launched by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) in 1991, the 16 Days Campaign is used worldwide to raise awareness of and call for the elimination of GBV. The campaign kicks off annually on November 25 in honor of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and concludes on Human Rights Day on December 10. Inspired by the original vision of the Campaign, this year’s theme focuses on femicide, or the the intentional killing of women or girls because they are female.
In addition to hearing from UNHCR and HAI team member, the event featured an address from Mrs. Intisar, the head of the Women Empowerment Department in the Kirkuk Council. In her remarks, Mrs. Intisar emphasized the critical role of youth and humanitarian organization in preventing and responding to violence. She also announced that the government will soon open a new women’s shelter in Kirkuk center dedicated to supporting survivors of GBV.
The event concluded with a traditional campaign activity in where attendees released orange balloons into the sky to represent victims of GBV.
