For 16 Days of Activism starting 25th November to 10th December, Soroptimists everywhere will #OrangetheWorld. Each of the 16 Days that we celebrate marks a step towards women’s rights and a safe space for them. Soroptimist International believes that women’s rights are human rights and through our work in the communities we work with that objective.
Beginning with the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25th November, Soroptimists follow UN Days to transform lives of women and girls. We rally against Child Marriages, Human Trafficking, Modern Day Slavery, Rape, Sexual Exploitation, Female Genital Mutilation, Human Rights Defenders and Sexual Harassment at Workplace. On 10th Dec the last day, we honour the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Each day is a call for action and provides a focus for our projects
Commemorating these days are opportunities to create public awareness about what needs to change, to prevent it from happening in the first place at local, national, regional and international levels.
At our virtual Club meeting on 25 November, members demonstrated their support for the 16 Days of Activism by wearing orange. The evening was full of interesting and lively discussion, focusing on the services being offered to local victims of domestic violence. It was agreed to contact local councillors to ensure that our voices are heard.
On the fourth day of activism, to encourage local support, St David’s Church in Laleston glowed orange. Bridgend Soroptimists joined together with the Diocese of Llandaff and Calan DVS to make this happen.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis, violence against women has intensified. A Shadow Pandemic of domestic violence is growing and we need to stem the tide. Everyone has a role to play in this – will you make your voice heard?
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If you’d like to get involved with us and find out more about being a Soroptimist or if you have an idea for how Bridgend Soroptimists can help you or your organisation, please do get in touch with us using the contact form on the website. Alternatively, you can email us direct at Bridgend Soroptimist Secretary.
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