Violence Against Women
Source: Heritage
President Ellen Johnson- Sirleaf has by Proclamation declared Friday, November 25th through Saturday, December 10th, 2011 as the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence to be observed throughout the country as Working Holidays.
President Johnson-Sirleaf has further called upon and directed all Government Ministries and Agencies, Local and International Organizations, the Children's Parliament, the United Nations System and the General Public to join the Ministry of Gender and Development in collaboration with the Gender Based Violence Taskforce, Women Organizations, the Men's Groups, to plan and implement appropriate programs befitting the occasion.
A Foreign Ministry release says this year marks the 10th commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign in Liberia and will be celebrated under the global theme: "From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let's Challenge Militarism and End Violence Against Women!" while the national theme is: "Peace in the Home is Peace in the Nation."
According to the Proclamation, the Ministry of Gender and Development being cognizant of the close proximity of "International Day of Violence Against Women," "International Human Rights Day", "International Human Rights Defenders Day", "World AIDS Day", "International Day of Disabled Persons", and "the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre", do agree to jointly observe the above occasions.
The release says the occasion will be observed through specially designed programs to further raise and strengthen the concepts being expressed for public consumption and participation.
The Proclamation indicates that the significance of the Observance of the Days is to draw global attention to the risks and effect that Gender Violence poses to the human health and wellbeing worldwide, and to address militaristic beliefs which contain material and institutional as well as cultural and psychological consequences that usually affect factors like ethnicity, culture, religion and socio-economic life.
The 16 Day period, according to the release, highlights other significant dates including: November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day; December 1, World AIDS Day; December 3, International Day of Disabled Persons; December 6, Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre; and December 10, International Human Rights Day, all intertwined with Gender Violence.