Say NO to Violence against Women

25 November is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

According to the UN,

At least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime - with the abuser usually someone known to her. Violence against women and girls is a universal problem of pandemic proportions. Perhaps the most pervasive human rights violation that we know today, it devastates lives, fractures communities, and stalls development.

To get the message through that violence against women is not acceptable, UNIFEM wants at least one million people to join its Say NO to Violence against Women campaign by 25 November 2008.

The message that ending violence against women must be a top priority for governments everywhere is being heard. Recently, UNIFEM's Goodwill Ambassador, and spokesperson for the campaign, Nicole Kidman participated from Nashville, Tennessee, as the Government of Spain gave their full support at an event in Madrid's Presidential Palace on 4 June.

And the campaign continues to grow with Foreign Ministers and Prime Ministers from nine new countries, the European Commission, and others went joining in an event in Austrai on 23 June.

But UNIFEM needs your help.

Please add your name and send this on to a friend (or three) so that UNIFEM can reach its target of one million people by 25 November 2008.