Saturday, July 25, 2015
Friday, June 26, 2015
Saturday, June 06, 2015
Wednesday, June 03, 2015
Friday, May 22, 2015
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Thursday, April 23, 2015
On 25 April, #OrangeDay, the UNiTE campaign is joining forces with the #HeforShe campaign and calling on men and boys everywhere to say NO to violence against women and girls.
We believe that the road towards a world free of violence against women requires transforming men’s and women’s attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. Men and boys have a responsibility and a role to play in speaking out against violence against women and girls. So reach out to the men and boys in your life, and ask them to wear orange and take action with you on Orange Day! Get the Orange Day action plan!
Urjasi Rudra
Say NO - UNiTE Team, UN Women
Monday, April 20, 2015
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Friday, March 06, 2015
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Violence against woman is a global Pandemic
25th of every month is Orange Day - a day to take action to end violence against women and girls.
Impacting 1 in 3 women and girls in their lifetime, violence against women is a global pandemic. It is rooted in gender inequality, a problem that can be solved, if the progressive steps outlined in the Beijing Platform for Action adopted by Governments in 1995 are fully implemented. To reach gender equality, we need new and updated laws, national policies and strategies, investment in gender equality, and public mobilization. And, we must make ending violence against women and girls a top priority.
How far has your country come in promoting gender equality and ending violence against women and girls? Learn more>
Join us in raising awareness as Governments, the United Nations and civil society organizations come together to review the progress made in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action at its twentieth anniversary at the 59th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59).
Click here to download the action theme for 25 February.
Wear something orange and share your photograph with @SayNO_UNiTE on Twitter or on our Facebook page, using the hashtag #OrangeDay. Tell us why you are wearing orange!
Thank you for taking action with us!
Urjasi Rudra
Say NO – UNiTE Team, UN Women
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Friday, January 09, 2015
Friday, January 02, 2015
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Study Reveals Sexual Harassment Leads To "Insidious Trauma"
For many women, sexual harassment is (sadly) common. Those of us who experience it frequently are all too familiar with its negative effects . . . to the extent that it's hard to understand how anyone could possibly notunderstand such impacts.
The truth is, though, that many persist in believing harassment doesn't really do harm; that, to use the oft-quoted phrase, it "isn't that bad." For those people, we now have a study to prove them wrong.
New research provides evidence that sexual harassment is, in fact, traumatizing for women—especially for those who have experienced sexual abuse. The study, conducted by a team of seven women from theUniversity of Mary Washington Psychology Department, sought to explore the effects of "body surveillance" and "unwanted sexual advances" (translation: uncomfortable stares and harassment). They gathered women of various ethnicities and had each fill out an online survey. Researchers specifically designed the questions to test how women felt about the appearance of their bodies, and to identify feelings of shame.
Subjects were then asked directly about harassment. Did it happen often? What kind (verbal, physical) did they endure? In what must have been the most emotionally draining survey ever, participants were finally asked about their history of sexual abuse.
What did the researchers find? That objectification resulted in, and we quote, "insidious trauma."
The effects on the psyche, researchers found, are long-term, piling up slowly. Women who experienced frequent sexual harassment displayed signs of trauma and PTSD. Those who had a history with sexual abuse endured a greater degree of trauma, regardless of how often they were harassed. Many women reported body shame—feelings that, not surprisingly, paralleled those who suffer from an eating disorder. The researchers concluded:
"Interpersonal objectification has the potential to have serious negative consequences, and unfortunately, failure to recognize these events may leave women wondering if the discrimination they believe they have experienced is real . . . Women become caught in a Catch-22; if they speak out about how they are treated, they are likely to be labeled as 'overly sensitive,' and if they say nothing, they have to live with these experiences without the chance of social support or vindication. The ambiguous and subtle nature of sexual objectification, particularly the experience of body evaluation, can make this experience of discrimination difficult to acknowledge, discuss, and cope with. Gender-based discrimination in the form of interpersonal sexual objectification can have a significant impact on the psychological health of women and, although some may wish to minimize the impact that these events can have, studies such as ours indicate that these are not matters to be taken lightly."
The study is imperfect—in-person interviews, for instance, would surely have deepened the results, and no LGBTQ women were included. But by offering improved understanding about gender-based harassment, the study's results are significant and even necessary. Specifically, the research helps to dispel some dangerous stigmas; for instance, it was once speculated that women simply didn't handle trauma as well as men. Now we know that women experience small traumas every day . . . and that they add up.
All of which raises the most important question to ask: How do we utilize these and similar results to change the culture surrounding harassment? Because unless this study is blasted to all harassers Clockwork Orangestyle, objectification will endure. Men who don't experience harassment will never truly understand its impacts, but they can acknowledge these effects in a way that engenders behavioral change. We just have to make it clear that sexual harassment is not "no big deal." And we have the research to back this up.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
We have started to orange our neighbourhood in New York – the iconic Empire State Building and the United Nations building were lit in orange today!
There are many ways that you can take action. People from around the world have joined our Facebook event to #Orangeurhood in #16Days. We are so inspired by all the actions coming in! If you haven't already, please join now, and share your actions here: http://ow.ly/EDK0P
In just a few clicks, you can orange your profile picture on Facebook and Twitter to spread the word. It's really simple – add an orange Twibbon filter here: http://j.mp/twibbon16days and tell your friends why you are going orange!
Looking for something orange to wear and make your personal statement against violence? Get a beautiful artisan bracelet in orange made by Kenyan artists: http://shopsoko.com/UNTF. The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, the only grant making mechanism at the UN that exclusively supports programmes to end violence against women and girls, has partnered with Soko. The proceeds will contribute to the economic empowerment of an underprivileged artisan community and, at the same time, support UN Trust Fund programmes to prevent violence against women around the world. Read more>
There's so much more in store throughout the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. Click here for stories and updates. Stay in touch with us through #Orangeurhood in #16Days event page on Facebook and on Twitter @SayNO_UNiTE.
Thank you for YOUR activism!
Urjasi Rudra
Say NO – UNiTE Team, UN Women
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Sunday, November 09, 2014
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