JANUARY AWARENESS DAYS
• January is Stalking Awareness Month - it is a time to educate oneself about the warning signs, facts and seriousness of stalking. Stalking is a crime that impacts the wellness of a victim. One in six women and one in 17 men will experience this form of abuse in their lifetime. Get educated and donate or support causes that assist victims.
• January 11: National Human Trafficking Awareness Day - Launched by the US Senate to raise awareness and combat human trafficking and slavery. Look for NCEDSV’s social media campaign on January 11th and share why you “Wear Blue” on this national awareness day.
• January 11: International Parity at Work Day - Raises awareness of ongoing inequality in the workplace with global events to celebrate the strength of diversity at work.
• January 21: World Hug Day – This was a day created to encourage people to hug each other more often. While this is a fine idea for adults, forced hugs should not be demanded of children as it violates their bodily autonomy. It teaches them that they do not get to decide to say “no” about hugging people with whom they are not comfortable or when they do not feel like being touched.
FEBRUARY AWARENESS DAYS
• February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month - this is an opportunity to shine a light on the prevalence and seriousness of abusive patterns in formative relationships. It is also a call to action for legislators, practitioners, educators, parents, public health officials and others to do their part to educate young people about healthy relationships and setting boundaries so that they feel safe and respected.
• February 6: International Day to End Female Genital Mutilation - UN campaign to end genital mutilation of girls and women and highlight the dangers of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) which is an abuse of human rights and can cause fatal bleeding.
• February 20: World Day of Social Justice - Raise awareness and support the efforts of the international community to eradicate poverty, promote full employment, decent work, gender fairness and access to social well-being and justice for all.
• February 21: International Mother Language Day - The Coalition recognizes the horror that took place when Native American children were forcibly removed from their families and forbidden to speak their native language. On this day we celebrate mother languages because they are critical to identity formation and contribute to a positive self-concept. The Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) reiterates that continuing to study one's mother tongue after childhood helps one learn how to value one's culture and heritage. For parents, keeping one's first language alive at home teaches children to take pride in their culture and roots. When we go back to our roots and culture we begin to heal from the trauma that has been endured by our Native relatives.
MARCH AWARENESS DAYS
• March 1: UN Zero Discrimination Day – Promotes efforts to achieve a fairer, just and
equitable world by challenging all forms of discrimination wherever it happens.
• March 8: International Women’s Day - A day that celebrates women’s rights across the globe.
• March 21: World Down Syndrome Day – People living with disabilities are more likely to experience forms of sexual and dating violence. NCEDSV is launching a campaign “Believe my Truth” to shine a spotlight on the disproportionality of the rates of victimization of those who have a disability, including Down Syndrome.
