Marking the 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, the Zonta Club of Kathmandu held a talk programme in the Capital on Sunday. Titled ‘Raise Your Voice’ the programme saw six prominent national and international speakers present on issues regarding violence against women and women empowerment. 

Sixteen days of Activism was launched on November 25 on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women with the overarching theme: “Leave No One Behind: End Violence Against Women and Girls.” As part of the programme, buildings and landmarks around the world, including the Mayadevi Temple in Lumbini, were lit in orange in solidarity.

At the talk programme on Sunday, international speakers, including UN Women Country Representative, Wenny Kusma; Chair of Women Think Tank at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, Chandni Joshi; and the director of Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace, Meenakshi Gopinath, stressed the need for awareness and advocacy against violence against women and girls. Other speakers at the programme included Shyamala Gomez, a women’s rights activist and lawyer from Sri Lanka, Sayeeda Roxana Khan from Bangladesh and Pukar Malla, the executive director of Daayitwa. 

Previously, as part of the 16 days of Activism, the Zonta Club of Kathmandu had also organised a school-level forum play involving students from nine schools in the Capital.