The series runs alongside the UN’s 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign from November 25 to December 10.

It portrays multi-disciplinary national responses in addressing violence against women and girls, and supporting wider efforts to achieve gender equality. 

The purpose is to highlight best practices from across the 54 member countries in tackling incidents of violence, delivering support services to victims and protecting survivors, according to Commonwealth Secretariat. 

The Secretariat’s experts will author each blog with a focus on illustrating the novelty, scope and impact of a good practice currently in place in member countries.

These practices build on the unique experience of the 54 member countries, representing one-third of humanity and embodying every culture, faith and socio-economic landscape. 

This means a practice, which has worked in one Commonwealth nation, can be replicated and scaled up in other countries with similar context.  

Under the theme ’16 Days of Actions: For the women in my life’, the series is part of the Commonwealth Says NO MORE campaign.

The UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women campaign is marking the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence under the global theme, “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!". 

UN Women’s Generation Equality campaign is amplifying the call for global action to bridge funding gaps, ensure essential services for survivors of violence during the COVID-19 crisis, focus on prevention, and collection of data that can improve life-saving services for women and girls. 

The campaign is part of UN Women’s efforts for Beijing+25 and building up to launch bold new actions and commitments to end violence against women at the Generation Equality Forum in Mexico and France in 2021, according to UN Women.

This year is like no other. Even before COVID-19 hit, violence against women and girls had reached pandemic proportions, said the UN agency. 

Globally, 243 million women and girls were abused by an intimate partner in the past year. 

Meanwhile, less than 40 percent of women who experience violence report it or seek help.

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

In others, formal reports of domestic violence have decreased as survivors find it harder to seek help and access support through the regular channels. 

School closures and economic strains left women and girls poorer, out of school and out of jobs, and more vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, forced marriage, and harassment.

In April 2020, as the pandemic spread across the world, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “peace at home”, and 146 Member States responded with their strong statement of commitment. 

In recent months, 135 countries have strengthened actions and resources to address violence against women as part of the response to COVID-19. Yet, much more is needed. 

Today, although the voices of activists and survivors have reached a crescendo that cannot be silenced or ignored, ending violence against women will require more investment, leadership and action, UN Women said. 

It cannot be sidelined; it must be part of every country’s national response, especially during the unfolding COVID-19 crisis, it said.

For the 16 Days of Activism, UN Women handed over the mic to survivors, activists and UN partners on the ground, to tell the story of what happened after COVID-19 hit.