16 days Activism Campaign Closing Ceremony in Puntland, Somalia
UNFPA has partnered with UNICEF, UNSOM and the Ministry of Women, Family Social Affairs organized a high level closing event in Garowe, Puntland-Somalia on 10 December 2013, for the intensive 16 day campaign against Gender Based Violence.
The event was attended by hundreds of community members, Policy makers and International development partners who pledged to commit resources and attention to end all forms of Violence against women in Somalia. A significant participation in the event was by women from a number of local civil society groups engaged in advocacy on women's right issues. Delegates attended the event included Ministers of Women, Family social affairs; and representatives from Education; Interior, Local Government and Rural Development, Justice, Religious Affairs and Rehabilitation; Planning and International Cooperation, UNFPA, and the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia.
The 16 Days Campaign Against Gender Based Violence is an international campaign launched by the Women's Global Leadership Institute in 1991. It begins on the November 25 ever year, marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on December 10; on the International Human Rights Day symbolically emphasizing that violence against women is a human rights violation.
Highlights of key Speeches and Events
The Deputy Minister of Women, Family Social Affairs Ms. Asha Ahmed stated that the day ends a successful series of events geared towards creating awareness on Gender Based Violence. She also briefed the audience on the details of the 16 days campaign that was made possible with financial support of UNFPA Somalia, which facilitated sports events between youths of host communities and IDPs to encourage integration between groups.
The Minister of Women, Family Social Affairs Ms. Halima Hassan Haji echoed a statement reiterating the commitment of MOWFSA to work towards a significant reduction of Gender Based violence in Puntland.
Representing local civil societies, Ms. Saida Yusuf, raised concern on the increased incidences of Gender Based Violence (GBV) particularly rapes in Puntland and requested an urgent action to address increased GBV cases. She called on the administration to put more solid action on the ground to increase women's political participation in decision making and more urgently, to include women in the arbitration committee for the upcoming election.
The Head of UNFPA Sub-office, Dr. Bakhtior Kadirov on his part highly appreciated the commitment and efforts of all the partners towards fulfilling the aspirations of women and girls to live in safety and with dignity, and attaining harmony and unity on the way to a world without gender based violence.
The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Ms. Fatiha Serour delivered a statement emphasizing the commemoration of human rights day and urged the importance of respecting and ensuring the realization of the rights of women, disabled and children. She pledged a continued strong commitment of the United Nations to human rights, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) was created in which Member of States adopted with a vision to realization of human rights and to full commitment to universal human rights declaration in 1948.
Ms Charity Koronyo, UNICEF Child Protection specialist, commended the government of Puntland commitment to human rights apprehension and commitment to the elimination of all types of Gender Based Violence, urging the importance of respecting child rights and implementation of the African charter on the rights and welfare of the child and the Convention of the rights of the Child. She noted the key successes achieved by UNFPA and UNICEF Joint FGM/C Programme in reaching consensus of religious leaders perspectives of zero tolerance of all forms of FGM/C and Saxarla' Campaign which has achieved a tremendous success in curbing the prevalence of FGM/C.
Minister of Justice, Religious affairs and Rehabilitation, Mr. Abdikhalif Haji Hassan officially closed the ceremony after welcoming the civil society groups as indispensable partners to his Ministry in its objectives and activities on making gains protecting and promoting women's rights. . He lauded the recent political commitment made by the government to work towards abandonment of all forms of FGM/C as the most important tool to meet and sustain the Ministry's goals.
The event included the dissemination of a Book on ‘‘Islam's perspectives of FGM/C, birth spacing and Gender Based Violence'' and a recent FATWA denouncing all forms of FGM/C in the presence of one of the most respected community elders; Sheikh Abdirisak Haji, who endorsed the content of both documents.
Below is media coverage links of the event,
http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Wararka_19/Ololaha-tacadiyada-oo-la-soo-xirey.shtml
http://www.galgalanews.com/?p=29765
http://www.raxanreeb.com/2013/12/ololaha-16-ka-maalmood-ee-tacadiga-ka-…
Seven universal TV and many radios will be also covering live.
