Speaking up for every woman and girl to feel encouraged and protected

How to switch from things we don’t talk about to things we must talk about, was  the focus of the launch event for the joint 16 Days of Activism campaign against gender-based violence, that took place in Skopje today. . The Delegation of the European Union in Skopje, the OSCE Mission to Skopje and the United Nations family have once again teamed up to raise awareness about the long-lasting havoc that gender-based violence causes in our society.

Starting with the central event in Skopje with the theatre play “Things that we don’t talk about”, other events will be also organized throughout the country  in the next 16 days,  including theatre plays, community discussions, concerts, exhibitions, and panel discussions.

This year, the theme of the UNITE Campaign is “UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls”, because every effort invested in preventing violence against women is a step forward to a safer, more equal, and prosperous world.  

“We are here to encourage victims and those who witness gender-based violence to report it – and tell them: the law is on your side”, says Ben Nupnau, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Skopje.

A key approach in the campaign is to create a uniting platform so that everyone who can identify with the cause can join and help spread the word about the need to end violence against women and girls.  

“We as the Mission, work hard on supporting legislative solutions that will provide more protection for victims of gender-based violence. Moreover, we engage in strategic efforts to strengthen the entire justice system, from first responders to prosecution and courts, with a goal to promptly and adequately respond to the needs of the victims,” says Selma Mehovic, Special Adviser to OSCE Head of Mission to Skopje

The ultimate goals of the campaign are two-fold: firstly, to create a critical mass that will act as a stimulating agent for the creation of zero tolerance policies towards any forms of violence; and secondly to raise awareness about the damage that the violence against women and girls causes on our families, on our society, and on our overall development.  

“North Macedonia has largely created the legal mechanisms needed to eliminate violence against women and girls and I am extremely happy to be able to recognize that. What we need now is to speak up more. To act more. Laws are not enough, when they are only ink on paper,” said Rossana Dudziak, UN Resident Coordinator in North Macedonia. “It is our joint duty to make sure that they are being fully implemented, to make them a social norm, and part of our behaviour.”

The 16 Days of Activism is an international campaign which takes place each year, commencing on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on 10 December, Human Rights Day. This campaign is the best example how people and organization can and should join forces to deal with societal issue that don't belong in these times and in the future.

The UN family has been traditionally partnering with EU and OSCE on this campaign, but every year the number of interested international and domestic partners is growing, coming almost from all sectors of the society. 

More information about the campaign can be found on the dedicated Facebook page.