The demonstration in Alytus
Contributed by: Vilana Pilinkaite-Sotirovic, Lithuania National VAW Monitor
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM IN LITHUANIA
The 16 days of activism in Lithuania started with the initiative of the NGO Women’s Issues Information Centre together with the Klaipeda Centre of Social and Psychological Help and Kaunas Caritas which has organized the campaign of billboards “It is shameful to buy a woman!” („PIRKTI MOTERI – GEDINGA!”). The campaign covers 13 towns in Lithuania. It aims to prevent the increasing
The award of the best posters, Alytus
numbers of trafficked women from Lithuania and highlight the visibility of the facilitators of the prostitution. Men, consumers of prostitution, have always been invisible and innocent. The public billboards inform that it is a shame for a man to buy a woman, because sooner or later everybody will know about this. The posters announce that Lithuanian law punishes the person for buying services of a prostitute.
See the billboard: http://www.lygus.lt/ITC/news.php?id=773
The campaign is supported by the Ministry of Social Security and Labour of Lithuania and European Women’s Lobbying Organization.
Alytus Centre of Women’s Crises has been one of the most active organizations in Lithuania
The Best Poster
to raise awareness of Alytus town community about the 16 days activism against violence against women. On November 25 the Centre together with the secondary schools and representatives of police organized the demonstration in Alytus streets. Holding white ribbons and candles in the hands, the participants manifested their commitment to combat violence against women and commemorate deceased victims of domestic violence. The demonstration ended in the Alytus main school with the conference on forms of domestic violence and emotional commemoration of the deceased young teacher of that school – the victim of domestic violence.
The other active organization in Alytus district “Let’s Give a Smile” (“Padovanokime sypsena”) organized a seminar on the problems and forms of domestic violence for rural women and distributed the information
Police actively participated in the 16 Days activism in Alytus
about available support for the victims of domestic violence in Alytus district. Symbolically, that during these days the organization “Let’s Give a Smile” managed to open the Child’s Day Centre for any child, who needs any support and shelter.
Since November, 2005, Woman’s Activity Centre of Marijampole district has organized the “Food Bank” campaign when groceries were collected in supermarkets of Marijampole for women and orphans’ shelters. During this campaign, the Centre has distributed 3000 booklets with White Ribbon raising awareness about the 16 days activism from November 25 to December 10 and informing the symbolic meaning of the white ribbon as non-violent commitment of a person or organization. Also, the booklet provides necessary information about available legal, social and psychological
Police participate
support for victims of domestic violence encouraging women to take actions against violators rather than silence and suffer.
The Association of Women’s Organizations of the Western Region in Lithuania that includes 12 women organization and Vilnius Shelter for Battered Mothers and Children plan to organize a street campaign of “White Ribbons” on 3 December, 2005, to raise awareness in streets of Kretinga and Vilnius about the problem of domestic violence and distribute white ribbons to men as symbols of non-violent behaviour towards women.
Approaching the international Human Rights Day on December 10, British Council-Lithuania together with partners Council of Europe and Office of Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson organizes the international conference “Training of Human Rights”
Seminar presentation on forms of domestic violence
in order to present variety of the educational tools and training methodologies on human rights subject in Europe and Lithuania. On December 7, 2005, a round table discussion “Why should be human rights protected in democratic society?” will be organized by the Institute of Human Rights Monitoring to discuss all aspects of human rights vulnerability and violation in a democratic society.
On December 13-14, two movies namely “Lilija forever” and “Take my eyes” that are closely related to human rights topic will be demonstrated in the cinema Skalvija in Vilnius.