Damascus-SANA
The Ministry of Information and the United Nations Population Fund in Syria held a cultural evening this evening in Khan Asaad Pasha in Damascus on the occasion of the launch of the 16 Days Campaign to Combat Gender-Based Violence under the title “Safety for all.. Gender-based violence is not acceptable.”
The evening included a concert by the Gardenia Choir, in which it presented Syrian heritage songs and a special song about early marriage, and a video presentation of the success stories of Syrian women who defied the crisis and benefited from the services provided by the Fund.
Assistant Minister of Information Ahmed Dawa explained that the Ministry of Information is interested in spreading awareness regarding issues of gender-based violence by broadcasting information and educational materials within well-studied programs, some of which are implemented in cooperation with the Population Fund, with which it has a distinguished partnership relationship.
Dawa warned of the existence of unprecedented cases of gender-based violence in the areas under the control of the Turkish and American occupations and their tools from armed terrorist organizations in eastern and northwestern Syria.
In a statement to reporters, Dawa stated that Syria was one of the first countries to cooperate with United Nations organizations in the field of the 16-day campaign to combat gender-based violence, and that this cooperation did not stop during the years of war and Corona, but rather expanded to spread awareness of the need to combat this violence and on issues related to women's and children's health.
The representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Syria, Dr. Iyad Nasr, stated in a similar statement that the opening of the 16-day campaign is a call for societies to do what is necessary to reduce gender-based violence, and an affirmation of the Fund’s support for girls and women in Syria and all over the world, especially in this economic situation and the Corona crisis, which Women's suffering increased from violence in all its forms.
In turn, the Media and Communications Officer at the Fund, Canada Katranji, said that Syrian women are the safety valve for the Syrian family and the Syrian society after the years of war, pointing to the intensification of activities during this period in cooperation with government agencies and NGOs and in various Syrian governorates, including lighting buildings and archaeological sites in Damascus in orange, the color of the campaign, which symbolizes For a bright future free from all forms of gender-based violence.
The 16 Days Campaign is a global campaign that begins on November 25 of each year, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on December 10, the International Day for Human Rights.
Muhannad Suleiman and Mahran Mualla
