Over the past few days, the campaign, 16 Days Of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, has been spreading around the world. This is an annual event that starts on the "International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women" (November 25) and ends 16 days later on "Human Rights Day" (December 10). The theme this year is “Leave No One Behind: End Violence against Women and Girls,” with the coordinating color orange to symbolize a brighter future in which females can live without fear of violence.

Many individuals, groups and organizations disclose their stories, express their opinions and build a community of support on social media using the hashtags, #16days and #Orangetheworld, to connect with one another. The contributors are diverse, but they all share a passion for advocacy of the protection and equality of females across the globe.

This campaign has substantial merit. Women and girls around the world face countless types of abuse and violence in both the private and public sphere at overwhelmingly high rates. It is not a mere coincidence that they face an extensive amount of violence. It is because they are women that they experience this oppression.

Violence against women (VAW), contrary to popular belief, is not a distant phenomenon that only exists in “far-away” countries. Although the prevalence of different types of violence may vary across nations, its significance and importance in society cannot be overemphasized. Violence against women has become normalized in every nation, society and culture.

The violence is limitless—girls are forced to marry their rapists to save the man from persecution and the girl’s family from shame. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is used to control a girl's sexuality to guarantee premarital virginity through the painful and degrading removal of her genitalia. Men are systematically protected by the legal system and receive a lesser sentence if they murder their wives in the name of “honor," such as presumed adultery or premarital sex. Shall I continue?

I understand that these examples are extreme and may not seem relatable to many. So let's hit closer to home. Women disproportionately suffer the ongoing effects of “revenge porn,” the public release of nude photos online without consent. Sexual assault and misconduct affects twenty-tree percent of females undergraduates in the United States. But these are just numbers--they cannot even come close to relating the pain and suffering these women and girls endure.

While this campaign may last only 16 days, it remains a continuous battle. It is inhumane and cruel to justify infliction of pain and control over women and girls just because they are female. A woman is not any less of a person. She is unquestionably equal to a man. She deserves to live a life free from the imposing threat of violence.