UN Volunteer bolsters #SheBouncesBack campaign of UN Women in China
UN Volunteer Zhu Liu (China) served with UN Women in China from 2020 to late 2021. She was part of a project supporting women to recover from the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19. This COVID-19 recovery project is jointly implemented by UN Women and the All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF). It targets women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises in two Chinese cities most affected by the pandemic, Wuhan and Tianjin.
As a Communications Assistant with UN Women, Zhu Liu was responsible for the communication and advocacy activities of the COVID-19 recovery project and the Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme. She promoted and advocated gender equality and women’s rights through multiple channels, and developed social media content and online campaigns on Weibo, WeChat, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Questioning the negative impact of deeply ingrained harmful traditional practices
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriage are both recognized human rights issues affecting girls and women worldwide. They remain prevalent in 27 countries, where more than 40 million girls and women are reported to have experienced FGM and/or child marriage. West and Central Africa is a region with high rates of migration, coupled with high rates of harmful practices. Here, the cross-border practice of FGM and child marriage is an emerging trend that has presented unexpected and evolving challenges.
To tackle these challenges, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNV launched the Data and Research Fellowship Programme in 2019. The second cohort of the programme was deployed to seven UNFPA offices in Africa to deliver on research studies related to gender-based violence (GBV) and projects that address FGM, child marriage and intimate partner violence.