In light of the fight towards gender equality, from the 25^th of November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to the 10^th of December, Human Rights Day, the world joins together in action against to end violence against women and girls through the 16 Days of Activism Campaign. The international campaign originated from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute coordinated by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in 1991 and marks 24 years this year.

The theme for 2015, is ‘From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Make Education Safe for All!’ which recognizes the dire situation for millions of boys and girls, men and women whose universal right to education is impacted due to violence, discrimination and lack of resources. The theme also particularly points out the need for the girl child to be protected from maltreatment and ensuring that they grow up in circumstances (both at school and at home) consistent with the provision of safe and effective care to enable them to have the best outcomes. The campaign will seek to emphasize the need for government to reform education systems to give girls and boys equal opportunities to participate and share the benefits of education. The 16 Days of activism campaign aims to also target three of the most common and damaging forms of violence in schools: sexual violence, bullying and corporal punishment.

The public debate was on 30th November at the Crossroads Hotel Auditorium and was broadcast live on Zodiak radio station from 6:30pm - 8:00pm. It involved a panel of 7 which threw the ball in the public court to discuss the issues of safety and violence in schools. The main goal was to engage the public in the 16 Days of Activism campaign and raise awareness on issues of violence in schools. The objectives were to improve the attitudes and knowledge of the general public listeners on issues of safety and violence in schools, to involve the public as active participants to voice out their concerns surrounding safety and violence in schools and to discuss solutions on how to address violence in school.

People listening in on the program also had the opportunity to ask questions and one of the trending comments was that men also get abused but they do not report or get the necessary help. Social norms and some cultural beliefs were some of the factors that came out as the factors promoting violence.

The panellists managed to highlight that perpetrators of sexual violence are usually someone the victims know and that some cases can be avoided especially if parents and guardians paid extra attention to their children. There was also opportunity to let the audience know that there are One Stop Centers being established in major district hospitals in Malawi where victims of sexual assault can find all the services needed.