Ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25, the Institute is taking part in a campaign "to put an end to sexist and sexual violence" organised by the Canton, the City of Geneva, feminist associations and various institutional partners.
The campaign, which runs from 6 to 26 November, aims to raise public awareness, train professionals and support victims of violence. This joint action will take the form of a poster campaign and various events (exhibitions, conferences, workshops and symbolic actions) during the month of November. A new website has also been launched, with numerous resources on the issue.
With domestic violence accounting for half of all criminal offences in Geneva, and fifteen feminicides recorded in Switzerland this year, the partners in this campaign wish to remind us that it is essential to mobilise, both collectively and individually, to combat sexist and sexual violence. Women's rights and the rights of gender minorities are human rights, and are a social issue that must be tackled collectively.
Equality cannot be decreed; it must be built and maintained on a daily basis and in the long term.
Fighting violence means promoting equality, and this starts at every level: at home, at school, in politics, in the workplace and in the public arena. In this sense, everyone can get involved, and every action, whatever its scale, counts.
