"NO to violence against women"
International Day of Remembrance and Action to Combat Discrimination and Violence against Women and Girls
Topics such as forced prostitution, sexual abuse, sex tourism, rape, female genital mutilation, domestic violence, forced marriage, etc. are discussed. In many cities, there are a variety of programmes that draw attention to these issues and explicitly advocate equality for women.
On the initiative of Terre des Femmes, flags with the slogan "live free - without violence" were hoisted for the first time in Chemnitz on 25 November 2001 to set an example against violence against women. Numerous women's and equal opportunities officers, organisations and associations took up the campaign. These flags will be flying again this year in the week around 25 November, including in front of the TU and at the SPD building on Dresdner Straße.
The Frauenhilfe e. V. association will be organising a circular walk on 25 November 2015 to commemorate women who are or have been affected by violence. One stop on the walk will be the place where Andrea N. was killed in Frankenberg/Mühlbach, where candles will be lit in silent remembrance. At 5 pm, there will be a buffet for the participants of the hike in the café in the Weltecho and afterwards it will be possible to attend a film screening in the cinema of the Weltecho. The meeting point for the walk is at 12 noon at Chemnitz Central Station at the newspaper shop.
This year, films on the topic will also be shown at various locations in the city; admission to the events is free:
24 November 2015, 7.30 pm Women's Centre Lila Villa, Kaßbergstraße 22: Short film night with short films made by women from Chemnitz's twin city Düsseldorf.
25 November 2015, 6 p.m. Club der Kulturen, Thüringer Weg 3: Video: "Kurdistan's women warriors" followed by a discussion.
25 November 2015, 7 pm Weltecho, Annaberger Straße 24, film "Cairo 678": The film tells the story of three Egyptian women who no longer want to put up with male assault and how each of them fights back in their own way.
25 November 2015, 7 p.m. Lesecafe "Kaffeesatz", Zietenstraße 40, film "Fortress": The film shows the life of thirteen-year-old Johanna, who tries to maintain the façade of an intact family despite her violent father.
25 November 2015, 7 p.m. Regional office MdL Volkmar Zschocke, Brühl 51, film "The Girl Wadjda": The first feature film by Saudi Arabian director Haifaa Al Mansou is about the constraints in the life of an 11-year-old girl in the strictly Islamic country.
Background:
The Mirabal case was decisive in initiating the day of action. The Mirabal sisters, members of the "Movimiento Revolucionario 14 de Junio", were abducted and murdered in 1960 in the Dominican Republic by members of the military of the then dictator Rafael Trujillo after several previous arrests. In 1981, at a meeting of Latin American and Caribbean feminists, 25 November was proclaimed a day of remembrance for the victims of violence against women and was officially adopted by the United Nations in 1999.
Further information:
Pia Hamann, Equal Opportunities Officer of the City of Chemnitz
0371 488 1380
pia.hamann@stadt-chemnitz.de