Orange Day at the premiere of Krleža's "Croatian Rhapsody"

Every 25th of the month is marked as Orange Day – the day to combat violence against women and girls. The Institute for Youth Development KULT, with the support of the US Embassy in BiH, will mark this 25th this evening at the National Theatre in Sarajevo, at the premiere of the play "Croatian Rhapsody" by Miroslav Krleža, it was announced from KULT, reports the Patria News Agency.

This play, directed by Gradimir Gojer, essentially speaks about numerous anomalies in a society. After the play, activists from the Institute for Youth Development KULT will talk with attendees, distribute cookies with anti-violence messages made in the Dream Cookies workshop, and attendees will also be able to view an exhibition by academic painter Emina Kujundžić.

Every fifth woman in Bosnia and Herzegovina experiences some form of violence during her lifetime.

According to data from the Agency for Gender Equality, 52.8% of women have suffered some form of violence since the age of fifteen. In addition to physical and psychological violence, women in Bosnia and Herzegovina are at a disadvantage in other areas as well, says Mirela Ajanović from the Institute for Youth Development KULT.

"Very few women in high positions, a small number of women in politics, unequal wages… All of these are indicators that women in BiH society do not stand shoulder to shoulder with men. This needs to be talked about" – said Mirela Ajanović from the Institute for Youth Development KULT.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are nine safe houses and SOS telephone lines that are free and confidential. By marking Orange Day, we want to encourage women not to remain silent about their problems, and to tell BiH society that the problem exists and that it must be discussed.

"Last month, we marked Orange Day on the streets of Sarajevo; this month, we decided to mark it in the Theatre. Essentially, we want to reach all layers of BiH society. We want to encourage women to seek help. Our initiative gains special strength from the fact that on the same day and in the same symbolic way, the campaign against violence is conducted worldwide, thanks to the Global

UNiTE youth network, of which the Institute is a member. The Institute for Youth Development KULT will talk about the problem of violence against women and girls every day. In the coming months, on Orange Day, we will carry out campaigns similar to this one because no woman should be a victim of violence" – concluded Mirela Ajanović.

The UN Secretary-General has declared every 25th of the month "Orange Day", as a day to remind of the importance of preventing, stopping, and punishing violence against women and girls, according to a statement from KULT.