The International Day of the Elimination of Violence against Women has flooded the world with an orange tide of support to eradicate gender-based violence. From North to South, from East to West, countless voices coming from different countries, with diverse cultural and ethnical backgrounds, have united to say NO to a a scourge that is still too frequent in our societies. A claim that will go on until the Human Rights Day, on 10 December, thanks to the global campaign ‘16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence’, which aims to mobilize more than 6.000 organizations in 187 countries to push together for that common goal. The 142 EU Delegations in the world could not stay behind, and they didn't. They have organised dozens of local events and campaigns to mark the date and pass on the message worldwide. Here is a selection of their stories.

Victims of gender-based violence are real, and thanks to the EU Delegation to Morocco we have got to know the story of Iman, a 16-year-old girl who was brutally attacked by a man in front of her school.

The staff from the EU Delegation to India joined the cause by creating this video to say NO to violence agianst women. An important message to spread in a country where cases of gender-based violence have risen in the last years.

The orange wave also reached Turkey. This is how the Ankara TOBB towers looked like on the evening of the 25th, as our colleagues from the EU Delegation to Turkey showed in Twitter.

In Belgrade and other Serbian cities, the orange 'fever' against gender-based violence even got to the buses. The EU Ambassador to Serbia, Sem Fabrizi, who shared the image below, took a ride on the bus and did not forget to wear an orange tie.

/file/caracas-25njpg_encaracas-25n.jpg

In Caracas (Venezuela), the difficult situation the country is going through did not stop more than 4.000 people from joining the 'III Carrera de la Unión Europea contra la violencia contra las mujeres', as shown in the picture. Watch below how the EU Member States Ambassadors made a call to join the race and run against gender-based violence:

In Jakarta, the EU Heads of Mission to Indonesia and diplomats joined an event to mark the date and sign their commitments to take action for a gender equal world, an initiative launched by the #HeforShe UN campaign.

The EU Delegation to Ghana took its project ENOUGH to the streets to mark the beginning of the ‘16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence’ campaign.

/file/gaza-25novjpg_engaza-25nov.jpg

In Gaza, in partnership with the Sharek Youth Forum, the United Nations Development Programme and Palestinian civil society organisations, the EU joined Palestinians to light Gaza seaport and fishing boats in orange. One of the most beautiful images the International Day of the Elimination of Violence against Women left us.