Europa Newswire
November 6, 2009
By Amy Lieberman
Nicole Kidman says “no” to domestic violence, but also said “no” to participating in the launch of an anti-violence campaign in Kenya today, citing a “seasonal flu” for keeping her at home.
Kidman, goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, was slated to speak at a press conference in Nairobi today, announcing the UN agency’s launch of the global advocacy initiative, “Say NO- UNiTE to End Violence Against Women.”
“Nicole is deeply sorry that, because she is ill with the seasonal flu, she cannot come to Kenya,” the actress said in a statement. “The ‘Say NO- UNiTE to End Violence against Women’ is a top priority and together with UNIFEM she will work to advance this critical initiative.”
The campaign – now in its second phase will document and exhibit actions taken by governments and individuals alike to end violence against women – was kicked off instead by UNIFEM’s Executive Director, Inés Alberdi, alongside the Kenyan Minister of Gender, Children and social Development, Esther Murugi Mathenge.
Up to 70 percent of Kenyan women experience physical or sexual violence, caused by men, in their lifetime, according to UNIFEM.
Alberdi and Mathenge met with some victims of physical and sexual violence today at a recovery center in Kenyatta Hospital.
“We know that violence against women is a problem with solutions,” Alberdi said in a UNIFEM press release. “What I have seen first-hand today in Kenya is the impact of effective work at the grassroots level, yet there is an urgent need for governments to make this issue a top priority and take decisive action.”Photo by: Jian Ping Yu.
