Havis Amanda bathes in orange light and a silent candlelight procession passes through Esplanadi Park in November

The City of Helsinki supports the global Orange the World campaign coordinated by UN Women Finland and will light up the statue of Havis Amanda in orange on Tuesday 25 November 2025 at 15:00–24:00. The silent candlelight procession will start from the west end of Esplanadi Park at 17:00 on the same day, and end with laying the candles around the statue of Havis Amanda. 

The campaign and candlelight procession aim to raise awareness of violence against women and encourage everyone to take action to reduce violence. The event is organised in cooperation with UN Women Finland and is open to all. We encourage individuals, organisations and other actors to join us in showing their support for ending violence against women. More information about the event and registration will be available soon on the channels of the City of Helsinki and UN Women Finland.

Orange the World campaign highlights the problems of violence against women and girls, such as domestic violence, sexual violence and harassment, human trafficking, child marriage and digital violence. The colour orange symbolises the hope for a future where the right to life without violence belongs to everyone. The campaign starts on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, 25 November, and ends on Human Rights Day, 10 December. The patron of Orange the World campaign is the spouse of the President of the Republic of Finland, Suzanne Innes-Stubb.

Making Helsinki a safer place for girls and women

Safety is one of the cornerstones of the City's operations. According to the Helsinki safety survey, women in Helsinki feel less safe than men. According to the School Health Promotion study 2025, around one in three girls in the 8th and 9th grades and general upper secondary school or vocational school have experienced sexual harassment.

The eradication of harassment and violence against girls and women and other gender-based forms of harassment and violence has been included as a guiding safety objective in the City’s new strategy.

"We want Helsinki to be a safe place to live and work for all its residents. The City plays a key role in both preventing violence and promoting gender equality. Active intervention, increased support services and measures to prevent violence are key," says Mayor of Helsinki Daniel Sazonov.

Violence against women often remains hidden 

According to a Eurostat study, Finland is the most unsafe country for women in the EU. In Finland, more than half (57%) of women have experienced physical violence, sexual violence or threats of violence. The most unsafe place for women is often their own home. One in three women (33.8%) in Finland have experienced physical or sexual violence or threats of violence in a close relationship. When including psychological violence, more than half of all women (52.6%) say they have experienced domestic violence or the threat of it in their lifetime. 

According to Statistics Finland, 13,000 cases of domestic and intimate partner violence were reported to the authorities in the country in 2024. The number of crimes, and violence against women in particular, has increased since the previous year. Men also experience domestic violence, but the difference between the genders is significant. 74% of the victims of domestic violence aged 18 or more were women, and 75% of the suspected offenders were men.

Crime statistics do not give a completely accurate picture of the scale of the problem, as a large portion of the incidents of domestic violence is never reported to authorities. To enhance the prevention of domestic violence, Helsinki has appointed a separate team that promotes the issue in extensive cooperation with organisations and authorities.