Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence, means any act done against the feminine gender that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering. Violence against Women has a very long, unpleasant history.

To effect real change in this regard, a day was set aside annually by the United Nations General Assembly to create awareness and proffer solutions. The day set aside as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women annually is November 25.

This year's theme for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is "Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!". Like previous years, this year's International Day will mark the launch of 16 days of activism. The Global 16 Days Campaign, launched by the Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL) at its first Women's Global Leadership Institute in 1991, has been used worldwide to call for the elimination of gender-based violence (GBV). It is run annually from November 25 (International Day Against Violence Against Women) to December 10 (International Human Rights Day).

The Global 16 Days Campaign marks its 30th anniversary this year, and the theme is “Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now!” Orange represents a brighter future free of violence against women and girls. Part of the campaign this year is to spotlight the nuisance that femicide is. Femicide is the killing of girls and women because of their gender. As with other gender-based violence acts, femicide is a crime against humanity, punishable by the law, and the perpetrators of this crime are not restricted to strangers. In fact, according to preliminary findings of an ongoing study by WHO and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, statistics show that more than 35% of murders of women globally are reported to be committed by an intimate partner.

Various factors contribute to the prevalence of femicide. According to a study done by stop.vaw.org, some of these factors are discrimination, a culture of violence, impunity, and poverty, among other factors. Other possible reasons/factors are the absence of a trustworthy justice system, victim's fear of opening up, bullying, rejection of sexual advances, harmful/primitive cultural practices etc.

Gender-Based Violence incidences have significantly increased over the years. As countries implemented lockdown measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, violence against women, especially domestic violence, intensified – in some countries, calls to helplines have increased five-fold.

Statistics obtained from UK police forces under freedom of information laws reveal that domestic violence support lines received at least one domestic abuse call every 30 seconds in the first seven weeks of lockdown during lockdown.

More statistics from ONS also show a massive increase in domestic violence support services calls during the pandemic. The police recorded 259,324 offenses flagged as domestic abuse-related in the period March to June 2020. These statistics represent a 7% increase from 242,413 in the same period in 2019 and an 18% increase from 218,968 in 2018.

The number of offenses flagged as domestic abuse-related increased each month from April to June 2020, with the most significant month-on-month increase (9%) between April and May 2020. The dangers of gender-based violence are real, and the effects are deadly, like Economic instability, disabilities, death, life-long trauma etc.

Therefore, the theme of this year, Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!, is a timely intervention, and it presents a solution on how we can all get involved in curbing the menace that Domestic violence is.

1. Fund: Already, various organizations are committed to putting an end to Gender-based violence. Partnerships and funding are vital in ensuring smooth running in such organizations. Examples of such organizations are: Spotlight initiative, Women Against Violence Europe, Amnesty International, European Women’s Lobby etc.


2. Respond: One of the ways to respond to Domestic violence is to empower the victims. According to vawnet.org, studies based on Domestic Violence across social classes show a strong inverse relationship between financial status and a woman's risk of DV victimization. As social class increases, the likelihood of domestic violence decreases. This conclusion is not to say that only lower-class women are susceptible to gender-based violence.
   
   Statistics like this motivate us at Tech4Dev to empower underserved young girls and women through the Women Techsters Initiative with digital skills so that they can attain financial independence.
   
   Aside from the Women Techsters Initiative projects, during our Basic Digital literacy programs, which we concluded in Northern Nigeria, and recently commenced in Southern Nigeria, we also ensure 20% of our beneficiaries are from vulnerable groups, including domestic violence victims. In the coming years, we hope to do more, and we encourage other organizations to also contribute to women empowerment.


3. Prevent: Abusers have personalities. They belong to families and societies. In societies, especially in developing communities, gender-based violence is seen as an event of shame that victims should bear when it should be the other way round. Abusers should be called out and punished according to the law as this is one right step in the fight against domestic violence.
   
   Asides from rooting for justice, other ways to prevent domestic violence are Proper education and sensitization on what domestic violence is and the effects, setting up a support system for domestic violence victims, protecting domestic violence victims, etc.


4. Collect: Without proper data collection, we cannot correctly address domestic violence's menace. Through data collection, we can understand where is the most affected, why, and what can be done to curb its occurrences.
   
   Like every other year, today is set aside as a call for action worldwide. To end domestic violence for good, all hands must be on deck, and we must all stand together as families, friends, communities, organizations to say no to Domestic violence or gender-based violence.