Your Action Ideas Inspired Us
Say NO signing in Quito, Ecuador/Photo: UNIFEM
5 novembre 2009
Would you like to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise awareness for Violence against Women? Or how about selling cookies in front of your town’s library and donating the money to your local shelter or NGO?
When UNIFEM sent out an email and asked Say NO supporters to let us know their ideas for actions to End Violence against Women, the replies from all over the world where moving, inspiring and encouraging.
“At our university, we are implementing a new Sexual Harassment policy. This is how I help my society grow.” A female university worker in Uganda is only one of the Say NO supporters whose messages were a clear sign that Violence against Women remains a global issue. An NGO working in rural communities in Nigeria informed us of a plan to maintain a violence hotline. In Sri Lanka, a Say NO supporter offered to volunteer at a regional women’s helpline. From Georgia/US, another supporter tipped us off: “People here love to ride Harleys or take walks. I could easily organize a Harley ride to support Say NO”.
You told us that there are so many ways to help – magazine publishers offered to run a media campaign which would reach thousands of people. In Kenya, a woman regularly shares her experiences with her support group, taking action by offering her advice. In Florida, a business offered to donate to support Say NO.
To involve men and boys to Say NO to violence against women remains a priority for many: “We urgently need to involve more men as partners! We need to encourage them to Say NO and reach out to their friends and colleagues.” Red Iberoamericana pro Derechos Humanos informed us about their activities to support women’s rights in Mexico. Another letter from Malaysia encouraged women and girls to learn self-defense.
A heartfelt report came from a woman who had spent years doing volunteer work at her local women’s shelter. She organized volunteer work for students of a local High School. In her letter to Say NO she writes: “It was an eye-opening experience for the students”. A domestic violence advocate from Michigan offered generously to promote Say NO in his area, an anti-violence blogger wants to share information about Say NO on social media.
Now YOU can make a difference - each and every one of your actions can be counted! Help us reach our goal to count 100,000 actions to end violence against women by March 2010. Every hour you volunteer, every person that attends your events, every dollar/pound/franc/dinar that you donate is one action. By creating a profile on saynotoviolence.org you can let us know about your actions and inspire others to join you.
