ORANGE THE WORLD 2020 • Safer World Foundation

In 2000, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution officially designating 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

In doing so, the United Nations invited governments, international organizations as well as NGOs to join together and raise public awareness every year on that date. Twenty years on, the battle to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls around the world remains a challenge worldwide.

Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!

As countries implemented lockdown measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, violence against women, especially domestic violence, intensified – in some countries, calls to helplines have increased five-fold.

The UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, a multi-year effort aimed at preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls, will focus on amplifying the call for global action to bridge funding gaps, ensure essential services for survivors of violence during the COVID-19 crisis, focus on prevention, and collection of data that can improve life-saving services for women and girls.

This year’s theme for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!”. Like in previous years, this year’s International Day will mark the launch of 16 days of activism that will conclude on 10 December 2020, which is International Human Rights Day.

Several public events are being coordinated for this year’s International Day. Iconic buildings and landmarks will be ‘oranged’ to recall the need for a violence-free future.