Quezon City monument turns orange for violence against women

MANILA, Philippines – The Quezon City monument will be lighted orange every evening from November 5 to December 12 in honor of the drive to fight violence against women.

Quezon City lights its symbolic icon to stand one with the United Nations (UN) Women and the rest of the nation in the 18-day campaign to end violence against women.

The UN Entity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment or UN Women seeks to highlight the issue of street harassment and all forms of sexual violence that women experience this year. This harassment includes what they experience as they move about in the city daily using public transport, lining up in terminals, going to markets on malls, and even just walking home in their own neighborhoods.

According to UN, women traditionally ignore and keep silent about catcalls, stalking, repeated harassment for their numbers, male public exposure, rubbing or groping (panghihipo) inside the MRT or jeepneys, even bearing indecent language being yelled at them by men as they walk by out of fear or shame. This is why the Quezon City government partnered with UN Women to implement the Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces Global Initiative.

Quezon City is the first city in Metro Manila that joins over 24 cities worldwide in the program that aims to stop street harassment and sexual violence against women in public spaces with the support of the Spanish Cooperation for International Development (AECID).

To raise social media awareness that all women have the right to be free from violence and to be free from fear of violence as they go to work, school, participate in recreation and community life, and enjoy public spaces, UN women also launches the hashtag #FreefromFear.

UN Women also features a photo blog and testimonies of women in Metro Manila who have experienced street harassment, a celebrity ‘fan sign’ collage, a community poll, and many more resources on preventing and responding to sexual harassment and violence against women in public spaces in their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/UNWomenSafeCitiesFreeFromFearCampaign/, as part of their social media awareness campaign. You may visit their page and join the Quezon City government and the UN Women in their call for women’s safety.

“We want Safe Cities where Women are #FreeFromFear,” the campaign call read.