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Towards elimination of all forms of violence against women
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights)
November 27, 2012

Zimbabwe Human Rights Association joins the rest of the world in the annual sixteen day campaign against gender based violence; known as the sixteen days of activism.

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender based Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute coordinated by the Centre for Women's Global Leadership in 1991. The campaign spans from November 25 - International Day against Violence against Women - to December 10- International Human Rights Day - in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights. This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the Anniversary of the Montreal (Canada) Massacre.

The 2012 campaign comes as an opportunity to review the work whose foundation was laid a few years ago. This year's campaign marks the third year of advocacy on the intersections of gender-based violence and militarism; under the theme "From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let's Challenge Militarism and End Violence Against Women!" In our context, there is need to:

• raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international levels
• strengthening local work around violence against women
• establishing a clear link between local and international work to end violence against women
• providing a forum in which organizers can develop and share new and effective strategies
• demonstrating the solidarity of women around the world organizing against violence against women
• creating tools to pressure governments to implement promises made to eliminate violence against women
• Sexual and gender-based violence committed by state agents, particularly the police or military.

In view of ZimRights's own 2012 International Human Rights Day Celebrations theme "Towards a non-violent Zimbabwe", the 2012 campaign theme poses a lot of work by human rights defenders in Zimbabwe. They all speak to the need for elimination of all forms of violence. Zimbabwe is set to hold a referendum as well as elections in the coming year, hence the need to ensure that the country avoids a recurrence of the unwarranted violence and intimidation that has characterized previous processes. Women and children happen to be the most affected in such situations.

We remain committed to the fight for a democratic space that allows for the respect of the rights of children, women and men as well as in promoting, defending and protecting the rights of all in Zimbabwe. Activities are carried out throughout the year in various communities during which we denounce violence in all its forms.

Visit the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) fact sheet

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