Author of the main element in the campaign visuals is TKV (The Kraljica Vila) @kraljica_vila
“Every 11 minutes a woman is killed. #NoExcuse UNITE to end violence against women and girls” is the theme of the United Nations (UN) global campaign “Orange the World – 16 days of activism against gender-based violence” which begins on November 25, when we mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, and ends on December 10, the International Human Rights Day. Unfortunately, violence against women and girls remains one of the most prevalent forms of human rights violations around the world. This year we also mark the 25th anniversary of the assassination of the Mirabal sisters, ardent activists and fighters for human rights.
The European Union is joining this year’s campaign with the message Break the Silence. The EU Delegation in Serbia joins the global campaign of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence by promoting empowered women and through cooperation with the broader community against physical, verbal and/or socio-economic violence.
“I invite you to join the global campaign and break the silence together. Only when violence against women is no longer concealed, nor socially tolerated or “culturally” justified, will we be able to stop gender-based violence. As long as this continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards gender equality. There will be true equality only when we get rid of violence. We all have the power to set an example and to UNITE to end violence against women and girls,” said Plamena Halacheva, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia.
We invite you to follow our social media channels and get involved in this campaign, which we will start on November 22 with the screening of the film Primadonna (Italy, France, 2022) at the Europe House in Belgrade at 7 p.m. The film is set in Sicily in 1965, and it is the story of a woman who has to marry a man who raped her, and her struggle against customs and traditions.
We continue the campaign on November 26 with the Digital Reality installation as part of the digital campaign #DISLIKE VIOLENCE which draws attention to digital gender-based violence, at the Europe House in Belgrade, organized by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).
The next day, on November 27, the new Centre for Victims of Sexual Violence at the General Hospital in Vrbas as part of the project “Step forward: Improving support for victims of sexual violence in Vojvodina” implemented by the Centre for Support of Women.
On the same day, at the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš, a panel will be held on the topic of Revenge pornography: the role of investigative journalism in solving gender-based violence (presented by Gordana Andrić, editor-in-chief of BIRN Serbia). On December 2, a lecture will also be held at the Europe House in Niš as part of the series Women Create – Conversations that Initiate Action with Ana Miljenić, director of the Centre for Cultural Decontamination (CZKD) Belgrade, at the Europe House in Niš. During the discussions, Ana will look back on the legacy of Borka Pavićević, the pioneer of CZKD, whose fight for women’s human rights, artistic freedom and social justice left an indelible mark on the feminist movement and the cultural scene. The event will further highlight the importance of promoting women’s solidarity and artistic creation in the context of the fight for equality and freedom, highlighting art as a means of change and social empowerment of women.
We will continue the campaign on December 3, when, in cooperation with the Beldocs festival, a screening of the documentary Kamay (Afghanistan, Belgium, Germany, France, 2024) and a Q&A session with Afghan director Ilyas Yourish will be held in the Cultural Centre of Belgrade.
The next day, on December 4, visitors will be able to watch the documentary film Kamay at the Europe House, but before the screening of the fil, the first in a series of literary programs Book in the Centre (Knjige u SREDištU) will be held, this time on the topic Literature and Violence: Poetry, Prose and Violence with Dragana Mladenović, Maja Solar (poetry) and Mirjana Drljević (prose). In the same cycle, on December 11, a program on Drama, literary heritage and violence will be held with Marija Karaklajić (drama), Tatjana Rosić (Faculty of Media and Communications) and Zorana Simić (Institute of Literature).
Organized by Kvinna till Kvinna, a public event focusing on the safety of female human rights defenders will be held at the Europe House in Belgrade on December 5, while Fenomena will hold a conference on free legal aid for women victims of gender-based violence on December 6 at the Europe House in Belgrade. On the same day, December 6, Lola (Ireland, United Kingdom, 2023) will be screened at the Europe House in Belgrade.
We continue the campaign with the event “New Network”, a screening of six short documentaries and a discussion with filmmakers and Novi Sad activists about the importance of preserving the heritage of famous women, which will be held in Niš, on December 6 and in Novi Sad on December 9.
The “16 Days of Activism” campaign includes several important international dates, such as the International Day Against Femicide on December 6, as well as the International Human Rights Day on December 10. On this occasion, the Autonomous Women’s Centre will organize a media conference dedicated to the topic of femicide on December 6, when the Femicide Memorial platform and statistics on women killed in femicides who had minor children will be presented once again. On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, the minority choir with Roma opera singer Nataša Tasić will perform the songs of minority communities at the Europe House in Belgrade.
Also, the Europe House in Novi Sad will launch the campaign Partners against violence against women on social networks, which will include representatives of non-governmental organizations in Pančevo, Bečej, Sombor and Novi Sad, as well as representatives of the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Matica Srpska Gallery and the BioSense Institute. Three short videos will be released during the campaign.
