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A push to end gender-based violence

“The U.N.’s “Orange the World” campaign runs through December 10, International Human Rights Day, and will attempt to raise awareness about the violent realities faced by numerous world’s women and girls…”

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The global drive originated in 1991.

A symposium entitled “Elimination of Violence Against Women _ Feminist Perspective” was organised by Centre for Women’s Studies, Maulana Azad National Urdu University on November 26.

“There seems to be an increase in awareness among society members as more people are willing to report incidents of abuse committed against them”, he says, adding that women are no longer afraid to report cases to the gender desk or to the police.

“Among these reported cases, 52% are females under the age of 16 and 36% above the age of 18”.

“It therefore highlights the risk associated with unwanted pregnancies, abortions and psychological and emotional distress which can lead to self-inflicted injuries and suicide”. According to the Botswana Gender-based Violence Indicators Study published in March 2012, 67% of women in Botswana experienced some form of GBV.

Among many other reasons, the campaign also aims to eradicate physical violence in the form of domestic violence, emotional violence and trauma at many levels caused by many factors. Willy Mtembela who is Mtibwa Ward Executive Officer (WEO) in Morogoro region confirms that the district gender desk has been of great help to women and children who have suffered gender based violence. This brings me to another abhorrent practice-that is the killing of our women in the name of socio-economic pressures and personal jealousies.

Speaking to Urmila on the phone WUNRN said ‘Till the time there is value attached to the life of an unborn, newly born, girl and woman, very little can be changed on the different issues of girls and women around their safety, justice, health, economy and survival. “These corrupt practices do not reflect the Nature Isle of which we boast”.

Mr John Alexander Ackon, the Deputy of Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, said government has initiated many policies to end gender-based violence in the country.

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She explained that the focus will be on psychological and therapy for the children.

Gender based violence prog