Former President of Malawi , Dr Joyce Banda has bailed out female students as part of celebrating 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence.
“In commemorating 16 days of activism I have decided to provide school fees to more secondary school girls. So far this week, we have paid school fees for 81 girls in various schools one of them is Yewo Muyaba going to Dzenza Girls Christian Secondary School who I met this past week at the Book Launch authored by Hon Patricia Kaliati at Capital Hotel,” Dr Banda says.
According to UN Women, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day.
The campaign was started by activists at the inauguration of the Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991. It continues to be coordinated each year by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership. It is used as an organizing strategy by individuals and organizations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.
In support of this civil society initiative, the United Nations Secretary-General launched in 2008 the campaign UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women, which runs parallel to the 16 Days of Activism.
Every year, the UNiTE Campaign focuses on a specific theme. This year’s theme is “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls” and invites everyone to play their role in ending violence against women and girls, show support and solidarity to women’s rights activists and to resist the rollback on women’s rights.
