Press Release.

International Campaign To Stop
Violence against Women and Girls
25 November -10 December 16 days of Activism: Break the silence around violence



In our country, every hour



§ Sixteen crimes against women are reported.



§ Six cases of cruelty committed by husband and relatives are reported.



§ Two cases of rape are reported.



§ One case of sexual harassment is reported.



§ One case of dowry death is reported.

(Source: National Crime Records Bureau, 2003).



Violence against women is traumatic to the body, mind, and spirit and can prevent women from being fully active participants in the world and at home. Organizations committed to fighting violence against women inn India will come together for 16 days from 25 November to 10 December as part of an International Campaign to Stop Violence against Women and Girls.


Women's organizations in Mumbai are coming together to launch the International Campaign to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls on Friday 25 Nov at 3pm - with a rally running from Kotval garden through Cadel road to Shivaji Park to show solidarity with girls and women whose lives have been cut short by violence.
This year's 16 Days campaign theme, as a continuation from 2004, emphasizes the connections between women's human rights, violence against women and women's health, with special emphasis on what men can do to prevent violence against women by personally not engaging in violence but also by intervening against the violence of other men, and by addressing the root causes of violence.

Organizations will use the time from 25 Nov to 10 Dec as an opportunity to mobilize public opinion against all forms of violence against women and girls and to draw more people into the struggle for women's rights through workshops, and seminars, poster exhibitions, theatre shows, and public meetings

All these activities are part of the International Campaign to Stop Violence against Women and Girls. The campaign runs for sixteen days each year from 25 Nov to 10 Dec in many countries. The dates November 25, International Day against Violence against Women and December 10, International Human Rights Day, were chosen to symbolically link violence against women and human rights, and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights. Women the world over organize during this period to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women.