The United Nations has designated November 25 as the International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women. The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence campaign, lasts from November 25 to December 10, Human Rights Day, chosen to emphasize that violence against women is a violation of human rights. The theme for this year’s campaign set is “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let’s Challenge Militarism and End Gender-Based Violence!” The UNiTE Campaign and UN Women offer suggestions to mark each day of the 16 Days of Activism.
Tuesday, December 9: The Girl Child
- Reach out to local schools to organize debates, art competitions and story competitions on the topic of violence against girls. You may want to consider particular harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and child marriage.
- Create an exhibition with the paintings and drawings created and use them to ‘orange’ your school. Take pictures and share them on social media through the hashtags #orangeurhood and #16days.
- Follow @UNICEF on Twitter.
Prayer for the day:
Holy God, Little children are our future. They are precious and innocent, yet little girls are victims of violence every day. How can this be, Oh God? Be with us as we go to schools and educate students about this violence, for if there is anyone in our world who should not be victims of violence, it is children. We pray for your presence among all those who are victims, and that one day little girls will not live in fear of violence. Amen.
prayer by Richard Aylor, intern from Princeton Theological Seminary