16 Días de Activismo contra la Violencia de Género

This campaign originated in 1991 under the leadership of the Center for Women's Global Leadership. It has been adopted by people and organizations worldwide as a strategy to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls. The campaign's purpose is to raise awareness and promote action to end violence against women and girls. The initiative is supported by the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, who calls for global action to put an end to violence against women through the campaign "ÚNETE". The campaign uses the color orange to symbolize a bright and optimistic future, free from violence against women and girls. In 2018, the global theme of the campaign "ÚNETE" was "Pinta el mundo de naranja: Generación igualdad se opone a la violación", while in Colombia, the theme was "Sella un compromiso para poner fin a la violencia sexual". The campaign aims to promote the empowerment of women and girls, and to prevent and eradicate violence against them. According to the United Nations, around 15 million adolescents worldwide have been forced to have sex at some point in their lives. Of these, 9 million were victims of these practices in the past year. Additionally, 1 in 5 girls is married before the age of 18, and if initiatives to reduce this number are not intensified, more than 150 million girls will have been married before the age of 18 by 2030. In Colombia, approximately 3 out of 10 women report having been victims of physical violence by their partner or ex-partner, according to the National Demography and Health Survey (2015). In 2018, 26,065 medical-legal examinations were performed for suspected sexual crimes, with 85.5% (22,309 cases) involving women and girls. Of these cases, 74.1% (19,328 cases) involved girls and adolescents, with 41.9% (9,350 cases) involving girls between the ages of 10 and 14. The practice of child marriage is also a significant issue in Colombia, with 23.4% of women between the ages of 20 and 24 having been married before the age of 18. The majority of these women were married before the age of 15. Child marriage is a violation of human rights and has severe consequences for the health, education, and well-being of girls. The campaign "ÚNETE" also emphasizes the importance of promoting responsible masculinities, as a significant proportion of men who have committed sexual violence did so for the first time in adolescence. Implementing actions with boys and young men is crucial to prevent the first perpetration of violence and to promote a culture of respect and equality.