16 days of activism against violence on women and girls
Organisations in Wolverhampton are supporting the UN campaign, entitled ‘orange the world: end violence against women and girls’ by organising 'orange' events.
These lasted 16 days, starting on the 25th of November (international day for the elimination of violence against women) and ended on the 10th of December (Human rights day) in order to raise awareness of violence, including; domestic violence, female genital mutilation, honour based violence, sexual violence and forced marriages.
A lot of activities have taken place during these 16 days,such as; The statue of Prince Albert in Queen Square sporting an orange sash, the City of Wolverhampton College is changing their screen savers in orange for the 16 days, and people are wearing this colour at work.
These orange events are planned in more than 70 countries around the world, and the colour symbolises a brighter future and a world free of violence against women and girls.
Angela Demetriou, violence against women and girls trainer at Wolverhampton domestic violence forum, said:
“Some people feel they can never talk about it to other people, they feel ashamed, they are told that it’s their fault and they believe that. Specialist support workers can reassure them that it’s never their fault that they are not responsible for what happened to them and that there are sources of information or help where they can go to.
“I would encourage anyone suffering from violence against women and girls to seek help. This can be done confidentially.”
Anyone worried about or suffering from any violence should call the relevant helplines:
The Haven Wolverhampton 24 hour Helpline for women and men - 08000 194400
National Domestic Violence helpline - 0808 2000 247
NSPCC FGM Helpline - 0800 028 3550
Karma Nirvana helpline for victims of honour violence and forced marriage - 0800 5999 247
In emergencies call 999 and ask for the police
