16 Days of Activism against Violence

Cynthia Williams

The Women’s Department has a packed agenda planned for this year’s Sixteen Days of Activism, which officially begins on Sunday. But the activities will be launched on Friday with an opening ceremony followed by a march through the city streets to send a clear message against gender based violence. The department is partnering with the Ministries of Health and Education, the University of Belize and other agencies to host events throughout the country, focusing on the theme: “Unite to End Violence Against Women and Children”. Human Development Coordinator at the Women’s Department, Cynthia Williams, is inviting the public to start the show of unity by coming out to support Friday’s public event.

Cynthia Williams, Human Dev. Coordinator, Women’s Department

“Tomorrow we will be having the official opening ceremonies and march for Sixteen Days of Activism. The campaign actually starts on the twenty-fifth of November, which is the international Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the planning committee decided that usually we have the opening on the Friday. So we are inviting the general public to be a part of this event. It is an opportunity for people to come in and to together, voice out and participate in advocacy and awareness on the issue of gender based violence. We will be having a variety of agencies and also schools—we have invited several schools to participate in a competition where there will be monetary prizes for them. it is based on their participation; not the number of students that are coming out but really inviting schools to be more participatory in the events within the community. So we’re inviting them to look at how do you utilize the theme in a presentation throughout the march. The theme for this year’s Sixteen Days of Activism is “Unite to End Violence Against Women and Children”. So the schools will be doing presentations along the march in chants, in posters; different things along the way and there will be judges along so they will be able to get monetary prizes for first, second and third. Of course, it’s always an opportunity for other partner agencies to be a part of this activity and be able to come out and distribute information that they currently have with the general public within the specific community. The opening ceremony starts at two and we’re inviting the general public; we will have t-shirts for those who come early on. We have specific shirts for men because we also want to invite men and young people to be a part of it. We start at two o’clock and the march will be after, roughly like around two-thirty two forty-five.  And of course we will be launching a UN Trust Fund project which the department has been a recipient for and it is a three year project to implement the national plan of action on gender based violence.”

The march starts at the basketball court behind the Charles Bartlett Hyde Building and moves onto Mahogany Street, Central American Boulevard, Vernon Street and North Front Street, ending at the Memorial Park.