The Philippine Embassy in Bangladesh on Friday organized a fun run titled “HuwaRUN: A fun run in support of the campaign to end violence against women" in Baridhara, Dhaka.

The event was hosted in line with the global 16-day campaign against gender-based violence and in support of the Philippine government’s goal to protect the rights of women and girls.

HuwaRUN is a play on the Filipino word “huwaran” which means role model and “run”.

The multi-year campaign, which starts on November 25 and lasts until December 10 every year since 1991, aims to raise awareness on and calls for action for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

In 2008, this was supplemented by the UN Secretary General’s campaign, UNiTE by 2030 to end violence against women.

The three-km route featured banners that highlight milestones that the Philippines has made in advancing the rights of women and the advocacy to end violence against women.

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These include joining the Global 16-Day Campaign, the enactment of the “Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act” in 2004, and expansion of the global campaign to 18 days until December 12, the date when the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, was signed in 2000, among others.

From 2016 to 2021, the Philippines focused on the implementation of the Magna Carta of Women and worked on raising awareness and engagement of all sectors, including those involved in disaster and conflict situations, to address violence against women.

This year, the Philippines expanded its anti-trafficking in persons act to include violations committed through digital platforms.

The fun run brought together around 125 participants which included members of the Filipino community, the business sector, NGOs, and members of the diplomatic corps.

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ASEAN Heads of Missions in Bangladesh - Haris Othman of Brunei, joined by his wife, Suraya Hj Salleh; Ambassador Heru Subolo with his wife, Sinta Ekawati of Indonesia; Ambassador Aung Kyaw Moe of Myanmar; and Chen Pham Viet Chien of Vietnam, also actively participated in the event.

Sponsors and partners for the event include: Baridhara Society, Baridhara Society Police, the Diplomatic Police, Kent Gan of Hobnob Café and Yama Hotpot, and Praava Health.

With this activity, the Philippine Embassy hoped that the participants will now form part of the larger global community that advocates to end violence against women and are now considered role models in campaigning to uphold and protect the human rights of women and girls.