The Gender Affairs Division within the Ministry of National Mobilisation and Social Development is commemorating the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence from November 25 – December 10, 2017.
The theme for this year is “Orange the World: Unite to End Violence Against Women and Girls”.
In his message to mark International Day of Elimination of Violence against Women on Saturday, Minister of Social Development Fredrick Stephenson said gender based violence is a very serious human rights issue which not only impacts the individual, but the
Minister Stephenson said his Ministry is hoping to use the 16 days of activism to raise greater awareness among the local population about the benefits of the new Domestic Violence Act.
He said statistics from the local Police Force indicate that from January 2012 to the end of August 2017, there were about 369 reported cases of domestic violence, which he said is alarming.
The Gender Affairs Division hosted a press conference this morning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Conference Room to launch the protocols and procedures for Domestic Violence and introduce the National Commission on Gender-Based Violence.
