KATHMANDU: The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence commenced today under the slogan, ‘The identity of a civilized society: Activism against gender-based violence’.

The activism is an annual international campaign that begins from November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and runs through December 10 marking the International Human Rights Day.

The campaign was launched in Nepal with the handing over of the white ribbon in presence of the National Women Commission’s Chairperson Kamala Kumari Parajuli and National Human Rights Commission’s Chairperson Topa Bahadur Magar here Friday.

The white ribbon having inverted Nepali letter ‘Kha’ symbolizes intolerance towards violence and says no to violence.

On the occasion, NHRC’s Chairperson Magar said that the Commission firmly stood in the notion that women should be free from violence as women were the one mostly falling prey to violence.

“Avoiding violence is better than providing compensation after being victimized,” he argued, reaffirming the commitment of the Commission to end violence against women in all forms.

Also speaking in the event, Deputy Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), Sunita Dangol, asserted that violence of any kind was a social crime and said that it was imperative to take the campaign to the ward-level to minimize the gender-based violence.

In attendance in the programme were the vice-chairperson of various local levels of KMC as well as the representatives from constitutional bodies.