Yaounde — "We all unite to end violence against women," staff of ECA in Yaounde, all clad in ORANGE echoed at the start of a 16-day campaign to denounce violence against women. They joined their UN colleagues across Cameroon and the globe to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November 2013.

As if he were present on the scene, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki-moon said in his message on the occasion: "I welcome the chorus of voices calling for an end to the violence that affects an estimated one in three women in her lifetime.

"I applaud leaders who are helping to enact and enforce laws and change mindsets. And I pay tribute to all those heroes around the world who help victims to heal and to become agents of change."

"We join the Secretary General of the United Nations and people of goodwill worldwide to affirm that there can be no excuse for violence against women, which in fact holds society down from progressing socioeconomically as it ought to" said a senior ECA official.

He added that "Violence against women also occurs in the sphere of economics. When economic growth is not inclusive to attend to the need of women who sometimes do all the hard work to create the conditions for such growth, this tendency to forget them represents a form of violence. It is our duty as the ECA to keep promoting the agenda of transformation that caters for the economic needs of women across Africa".

The ongoing 16-day activism is in support of the UN Secretary General's UNite Campaign to end violence against women. The campaign is advocating a stand-alone post-2015 global development goal to achieve gender equality, women's rights and women's empowerment, of which freedom from violence should be a core element.