Orange lights signal call for gender equality
- By Wu Jin
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E-mail China.org.cn, November 29, 2017
In his bestselling novel "A Thousand Splendid Suns," Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini brought his character Mariam's life to an end with her execution, following her murder of her husband Rasheed. Her reason for killing him was that he had beaten his second wife, a much younger woman named Laila, to death.
The Delegation of U.N. Women in Beijing visits the Beijing Royal School to promote gender equality on Nov. 24, 2017. [Photo by Wu Jin / China.org.cn]
Upon learning of Mariam's pitiable life ending in such a way, many readers couldn't help but wonder how this woman's fate could have followed a very different trajectory if the world had paid more attention to her, living in uneducated, impoverished, hopeless, lonely and war-torn conditions, forced to succumb to ceaseless violence throughout her life.
Over 16 consecutive days since last Friday, the U.N. Compound in Beijing has illuminated the three-story facade in orange against the night backdrop, in an effort to highlight the importance of equal rights for peripheral populations, especially women and girls.
The color, evoking striking sunbeams, represents the U.N.'s initiative to heal injured souls, alert the public to harmful stereo typing and discrimination, and call for the end of violence against all women and girls, as well as refugees, migrants and ethnic minorities.
"Orange is a key color for the United Nations. We see it as a color of vigilance and we remind people of the world to support gender equality as long as gender-based discrimination and violence still exist," said Nicholas Rosellini, U.N. Resident Coordinator in China.
Last year, following the G20 Summit, the host city Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, illuminated five of its main buildings along the scenic West Lake in soft orange for 16 days to support U.N. Women's annual campaign.
This year, the 16-day lighting ceremony was initiated in partnership with Beijing Normal University (B.N.U.) and Beijing Royal School (B.R.S.), where an opening gala for the conventional campaign was held several hours before the U.N. Women Compound switched on the light.
Students from B.R.S., a private high-end bilingual primary and secondary school, staged multi-acts kits to raise people's awareness of gender inequality, school bullying and malicious discrimination, highlighting the suffering caused to the victims of such acts.
Looking ahead, the U.N. Women, B.N.U. and B.R.S. have jointly launched a three-year"Peer Leadership for Healthy Relationships Program," aimed at providing professional knowledge and assistance to young people to prevent school bullying, respect diversity and most importantly, promote gender equality.
Julie Broussard, the Country Program Manager of U.N. Women China, commented on the performances of the young students, saying,"You have taken actions to promote gender equality in your shows and I hope that more young people will join you to say'No' to violence and'Yes' to gender equality."
In fact, an increasing number of male participants are joining the cause, despite immense skepticism and their male identity being called into question in eyes of many. They are often stereotyped as"nanny father" or"gender minority," derogatory terms used to describe men working in traditionally female-dominated sectors.
According to Pi Xingcan, a lecturer from B.N.U. and assistant in the peer education program, the promotion of gender equality still needs more men to get involved, especially those in their youth, as the elimination of violence against women and girls remains a mission with great challenges ahead.
According to U.N. Women, at least 35 percent of women have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence worldwide. However, the statistics may just represent the tip of iceberg, Rosellini said.
"I encourage my U.N. colleagues from all sectors of society, all governmental and non-governmental departments, especially the young people of China and around the world, to use the 16 days' campaign as a springboard to end violence against women and girls," added Rosellini.
"So please,'orange' the world," he concluded.
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