UNHCR Cyprus last night held a thought-provoking event on Creating Safer Communities for Women and Girls, with keynote speaker Jane Houng, founder of Becky’s Button.

Becky’s Button does remarkable work around the world, with a focus on practical approaches to protecting the safety of girls and women, including distribution of a discreet panic button. Vana Mghsijerjian—winner of Becky’s Button 2025 Rebecca Dykes Changemaker Challenge—talked about grassroots approaches in Lebanon, with Girl Scouts who identified specific stretches of road in urgent need of street lighting to create a safer environment.

Mine Atli (KAYAD), Susanna Pavlou (MIGS) and UHCR’s Andriana Kossiva and Faika Deniz Pasha offered insight into their work and challenges on both sides of the divide in Cyprus, including for asylum-seekers and refugees.

Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor Linda Balfe, the Reverend Deborah Moorgas, Cyprus Outreach Coordinator the Reverend Maria Evangelou and Helen Perry attended the event, which formed part of the UN’s annual programme 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (running from 25 November—International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women—to 10 December—Human Rights Day).

The meeting was held in the Nicosia buffer zone in the grounds of the former Ledra Palace Hotel—now headquarters for the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)—and was organised by UNFICYP Gender Affairs Officer Lauren McAlister. 

(Click on images below to enlarge photos)