In the news: Orange the World – Orange the City on November 25th also in Leipzig

On November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Leipzig, at the initiative of the ZONTA Club Leipzig Elster, the ZONTA Club Leipzig, and the Soroptimist International Club Leipzig, is participating once again in the UN campaign Orange the World. Citizens, businesses, institutions of the City of Leipzig and other organizations, associations, and many more are actively advocating for an end to violence against women and girls.

Various campaigns are being used to draw attention to this distressing issue:

Buildings illuminated in orange
digital city light poster in Leipzig city center
Spots and images from several companies
Window display installation at the entrance to the Breuninger department store
Addressing the topic with ads and images on social media

The patron of these and other actions is the mayor and deputy mayor for social affairs, health and diversity, Dr. Martina Münch.

Furthermore, we call for a large demonstration on November 25, 2025:

Our grief turns to anger – fight and defend yourselves!

Start: 3:00 PM Johannisplatz
Stopovers: Augustusplatz, Dittrichring near St. Thomas Church
End: 5:30 p.m. at the small Willy Brandt Square with memorial for femicide victims

Germany has a violence problem.

Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation that occurs in all regions of the world and in all areas of society – unfortunately, also in Germany. Gender-based violence ranges from everyday sexism to femicide. Most perpetrators are close to the women and girls they are targeting: intimate partner violence is the most common form of violence and includes physical, sexual, emotional, economic, and psychological violence.

Almost every day in Germany, a woman is killed by her (ex-)partner.
35 percent of all women experience physical, psychological and/or sexual violence at least once in their lives.
The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) registered 265,942 cases of domestic violence in 2024 – more than ever before. 73 percent of the victims were women.
A media report analysis for 2024 identifies 171,100 cases of domestic violence – an increase of 1.9 percent compared to the previous year. 80 percent of the victims were women. (Source: Women’s Shelter Coordination Association)
This means that every four minutes a woman in Germany experiences violence at the hands of her partner or ex-partner.
63 percent of politically active women in Germany report experiencing digital violence.

Gender-based violence has long since permeated all areas of society – even democratic debate. According to a recent study by HateAid gGmbH and the Technical University of Munich, 63 percent of politically active women in Germany have already experienced digital violence – for example, in the form of insults, sexualized threats, or targeted hate campaigns.

The economic consequences are massive: According to the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), gender-based violence in the EU costs around €366 billion annually, with approximately 80 percent of this attributable to violence against women. For Germany, this equates to damages exceeding €45 billion annually – through healthcare costs, absenteeism, and lost productivity. Violence against women is therefore not only a human rights violation but also a risk to the country’s economic stability and future societal viability.

What is needed is a comprehensive political strategy and equality at all levels.

UN Women Germany, with its Orange The World campaign, is calling for everyone to finally take joint action to sustainably end violence against women.

NOW! Implementation of the Istanbul Convention!

The Istanbul Convention must be fully, consistently, and swiftly implemented to protect all women and girls from gender-based violence and ensure their access to support systems. Far too little has been done so far! Survivors’ initiatives and women’s organizations are sounding the alarm. Where is the law on providing assistance to women and girls who have experienced violence? What about the attitudes and commitment of men?

Violence against women is still downplayed as a marginal phenomenon, with serious consequences for society as a whole. Victims and staff at support and counseling centers feel abandoned. Due to the close relationship between perpetrators and victims, a high number of unreported cases is also expected. “The number of cases is rising every year and is alarmingly high.”

“Enough is enough!” say the members of the two Leipzig Zonta Clubs and the Soroptimist International Club Leipzig. With Zonta International and Soroptimist International, thousands of women worldwide are committed to stopping this violence and finally granting all women the human right to a self-determined, healthy, and violence-free life.