KUALA LUMPUR – The Kuala Lumpur and Alor Setar skyline will have an orange glow when the iconic KL Tower and Alor Setar Tower lights up tonight from 8pm to 11pm to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW).
IDEVAW falls annually on November 25 and kicks off the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence which ends on December 10. The global theme for 2021 is “Orange the world: End violence against women now!”
The lighting of the two tallest telecommunications towers in Malaysia is part of a global campaign to Orange the World. It is a symbolic statement not only to rally Malaysia’s women and girls towards unifying their voices as part of the global struggle to end Violence against Women, but also a national call to action and recognition of this vital issue.
Karima El Korri, the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei Darussalam said, “Today, we call for stronger and firmer action to eliminate violence against women. We need innovative means to address the root causes, discriminatory laws, and biased social norms and practices that sanction violence against women.
"We need a whole-of-society approach to ensure that violence against women is not OK: civil society organisations, religious leaders, schools, men and women in communities across the country, young people, workplaces, families, and the media to stand up together to end violence against women.
"We need renewed commitments by the government at national and subnational levels.”
As part of the goal to end gender-based violence and all harmful practices by 2030, in line with achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is supporting the lighting of both towers, as part of its renewed commitment to end violence everywhere women and girls are, one of UNFPA’s three transformative results, it being a fundamental human right of women and girls to feel safe and live free of violence in all spaces.
During the coming 16 Days, the United Nations in Malaysia, with the United Nations Population Fund in the leadership role, will organise a series of activities, including two forums and a social media campaign around the core principle of Bodily Autonomy.
The first forum, the Road to Justice, will be broadcast live on November 27, and will focus on existing legislation to end and prevent violence against women. On December 11, the UN will convene the 2nd Malaysia Women and Girls Forum around the theme: Bodily Autonomy – Ensuring Rights & Choices for Malaysia’s Women and Girls.
El Korri concluded, “During these 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, I urge everyone to do their part. Do engage with family, with friends, on social media. Write and talk about this pandemic. Build the momentum for policymakers and law enforcement agencies to ensure that women and girls are safe everywhere.
"We will light up the iconic KL Tower and Alor Setar Tower in orange, but every day, let us act to end violence against women and girls, not by 2030, but right now.” – The Vibes, November 25, 2021
