Baku conference spotlights violence against women and girls

Baku, November 24, AZERTAC A conference entitled “Leave no one behind: End violence against women and girls!” has been held in Baku. The event was co-organized by the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, UN Development Program, UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), US Agency for International Development (USAID). The conference was attended by the representatives of government agencies, international organizations, MPs, members of civil society and public figures. Addressing the event, chairwoman of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs Hijran Huseynova said the conference addresses a very pressing problem. She said a new campaign,16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, will be launched following the conference. 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls. The campaign runs every year from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day. This campaign has been used as an organizing strategy by individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women by raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international levels, strengthening local work around violence against women and demonstrating the solidarity of women around the world organizing against violence against women.