Lights at the SUNY Oswego main entrance sign will glow orange starting at sunsets, running through Dec. 10, as part of the international 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence program.
SUNY Oswego's Golden Z Club proposed the observance as a way of standing up to gender-based violence. According to UN Women, the United Nations organization that delivers programs, policies and standards that uphold women’s human rights and ensure that every woman and girl lives up to her full potential, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicked off on Nov. 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until Dec. 10, Human Rights Day. Orange is the color associated with this campaign.
This annual campaign was started by activists at the inauguration of the Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991. It is an organizing strategy by individuals and organizations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.
In 2008, to support this civil society initiative, the United Nations Secretary-General launched the campaign "UNITE by 2030 to End Violence against Women," which runs parallel to the 16 Days of Activism. Every year, the UNITE Campaign focuses on a specific theme; this year’s is “UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls.”
The campaign calls on global citizens to show how much they care about ending violence against women and girls by sharing the actions they are taking to create a world free from violence towards women. This year's campaign also calls on governments worldwide to share how they are investing in gender-based violence prevention.
The SUNY Oswego Golden Z Club is a student organization connected with Zonta International, whose mission is to build a better world for women and girls. Zonta is active in the global community and works to end issues that continue to plague women and girls worldwide such as child marriage and gender-based violence.
As a bright and optimistic color, orange was chosen to represent this campaign, supporting a future free from violence against women and girls. Golden Z Club has committed to an active awareness campaign through its social media and tabling efforts to ensure that the campus community is informed and aware of these issues. In addition, Golden Z is currently running a paper drive that benefits Vera House, a local organization that provides support and safety for survivors of domestic violence.
For more information, Golden Z is actively tabling in the Marano Campus Center and offers the following resources:
- Instagram: @sunyoswego.goldenz
- https://www.unwomen.org/en
- https://zontasaysno.com/
-- Submitted by the SUNY Oswego Golden Z Club