International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women Event in Delhi

FWF hosted an expert panel event in New Dehli, India on 26 November to commemorate the United Nations-sponsored International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Attended by 25 experts from a range of fields, the event addressed the topic of strategies to end violence against women in the workplace.  The discussion addressed the complex economic, social and legal dynamics which surround violence against women in the apparel industry.

The United Nations General Assembly designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in 1999. Governments, international organizations and NGOs are urged to organize activities designed to raise public awareness of the problem on that day.

Three speakers addressed the group:

Ms. Bharati Silawal-Giri, Head of the Ending Violence Against Women unit of the UN Women South Asia office.

Dr. Madhubala Nath, Senior Policy Advisor to Global Health Strategies

Ms. Madhu Purnima Kishwar, Senior Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, and founder of the journal Manushi.

FWF’s India Liaison Officer Dr. Rituparna Majumdar facilitated the discussions.  She was joined by  FWF Amsterdam staff Martin Curley and Stefanie Santila Karl, who spoke about FWF’s work in India, and specifically FWF’s United Nations-supported Workplace Education Programme, which is designed to reduce workplace violence against women.

The event provided an opportunity for organisations working on related issues to share ideas, and will help shape FWF’s future work with partners in India.  In keeping with the awareness-raising spirit of the Internation Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, media were invited, and the event received coverage in major Dehli news outlets inlcuding The Tribune and The Statesman.

Please see the event overview for more information and quotes from the speakers.