|
New York City- UN
Women for Peace Association (UNWFPA) annual rally and
march to end violence against women was held on Saturday, March
5th, 2016 at 11am at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, 47th Street between
First and Second Avenues. The event was free and thousands
marched. Journalist Lisa Daftari emceed the rally and
help lead the march.
The event was in celebration of
International Women’s Day, and Dionne Warwick led
thousands in a march to end violence against women. Warwick
wowed the crowd as she sang with 40 members of Brooklyn’s own
Christian Cultural Center choir What the World
Needs Now Is Love. The choir continued to sing throughout
the march to 42nd street.
The speakers at the
rally included: Muna
Rihani Al-Nasser, Chair of UNWFPA; Mrs. Ban Soon-taek,
Patron of UN Women for Peace Association; Dionne Warwick,
singer; Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcukva, Under-Secretary-General
of the United Nations and the Executive Director of UN Women;
HRH Princess Camilla of Bourbon Two Sicilies; Francine
LeFrak, Founder Same Sky;
Bushra Khayat Jomaa, UNWFPA special envoy;
Rosemary DiCarlo, Former Ambassador to the United Nations
Commissioner Cecile Noel, Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic
Violence; Deputy Chief
Juanita Holmes, Commanding Officer of NYPD Domestic Violence
Unit; Kat Graham, Actress; Rita Cosby, News
Anchor; Shandra Woworuntu, Co-Founder, Mentari, Appointed
by President Obama to United States Advisory Council on Human
Trafficking, and survivor of human trafficking,
Jennifer Singleton,
Managing Director, Women's Prison
Association; and Ms. Nam Hee Kim, Chairwoman,
International Women's Peace Group (IWPG).
Deputy Chief Juanita Holmes
said “Just
because the word violence is proceeded by the word domestic it
does not make the violence any softer, it does not make the
violence any less.”
Actress Kat Graham
energized crowd by saying “I’m proud to be here with the United
Nations Women For Peace Association, an organization of women
FOR women, that takes the opportunity to shine a light on the
violence perpetrated against women all over the world and says
“Enough is enough!” Women from all corners of the globe,
no matter if they face the horrors of war as far away as Syria
or if they are the target of sexual
violence right here in the United States, Women for Peace
says no woman should endure such hardships and will do all they
can to put an end to their suffering. We have to continue to
send the signal to these women that they are not alone.”
Warwick, was the 2016
recipient of the Voice of Peace Award, she said “I am grateful
to have been asked by this most incredible group of ladies to be
an honoree, and moreover, to be the Grand Marshal too. What
greater honor could there be! I truly am beside myself with joy
and look forward to being a part of this most prestigious
event.”
As you read these words,
nearly 5 million women and girls are living in slavery, victims
of human trafficking. 60 million more are child brides, and 140
million live with the pain of enforced genital mutilation. These
are more than just numbers; they are our mothers, our sisters,
and our daughters.
Violence against women
is a global issue. In some countries, one out of seven women are
raped, abused, or mutilated. Around the globe, nearly one in
five women under the age of fifteen are sexually abused. Over
130 million women have experienced genital mutilation. It is
estimated that as many as 2.5 million people are trafficked
annually into situations including prostitution, forced labor,
slavery, or servitude; women and girls account for about 80 per
cent of the detected victims.
Thanks to the following
for making the 2016 March in March possible:
Crime Victims
Treatment Center, District Council 37 AFSCME AFL-CIO, Georgetown
University Women’s Leadership Institute, Global Movement for The
Culture of Peace (GMCoP), Global Movement for the Culture of
Peace + The Good News Agency, Institute for International
Eduation (IIE), International Association of World Peace
Advocates, International Council of Women, Global Family & NGO
Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, International Women's
Peace Group (IWPG), Mentari, National Organization for Women
(NOW) First Virtual Chapter Young, Feminists & Allies, Peace
Development Fund, Safe Horizon, Sanctuary for Families, Social
Architects, South Asian Fund For Education, Scholarship &
Training (SAFEST), Strategy 21 Partners, Take the Lead Women,
The Lalla Project, The People's, Movement for Human Rights
Learning, Women for Afghan Women, Women Moving Millions, Women's
Prison Association, World Council of Religious Leaders, World
Yoga Community, and Kelly Le Brock
UNWFPA believes
violence against women and girls is a criminal act that should
not be tolerated. Yet, as you read this, five million women and
girls across the globe are suffering from forced sexual
exploitation or are victims of human trafficking. More than 60
million girls have no access to - or are being deliberately
excluded from - primary and secondary school. One in three women
experience violence from an intimate partner or sexual violence
from a stranger in their lifetime. UNWFPA was founded in 2008
under the patronage of H.E. Mrs. Ban Soon-taek. UNWFPA aims at
raising awareness about these horrible crimes. We seek to
promote and advance the goals of UN agencies that provide
opportunities for women through social, cultural, educational
and empowerment programs within the framework of the global
peace-building process. All our proceeds go directly to the UN
Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women. The Fund, which aims
to prevent and end violence against women and girls, provides
services and programs to those affected by violence, and
supports the implementation of laws and policies conducive to
ending violence against women
|