16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence

Historical context The 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly defines violence against women (VAW) as "any act of gender-based violence (GBV) that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women." GBV in this case being "any harmful act that is based on socially ascribed (gender) differences between males and females." A significant example of this is femicide, which the European Institute for Gender Equality broadly defines as "the killing of a woman or girl solely because of her gender." GBV and femicide are global humanitarian crises that need to be addressed from an international lens. According to a report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, femicide is "the most brutal and extreme manifestation of a continuum of violence against women and girls that involves intentional killing with a gender-related motivation." In Latin America, GBV has "come to be described as a 'pandemic' with between a quarter and a half of women suffer[ing] from domestic violence." Globally, VAW in their own homes is "the leading cause of injuries suffered between the ages of fifteen and forty-four" Many organizations across the globe recognize VAW as "an impediment to women's social and economic development." In 1930, the merciless dictator Rafael Trujillo "assumed near-absolute control" of the Dominican Republic (DR) "through intimidation" and "a rigged presidential election," effectively "ushering in the 'Era of Trujillo'" – a 30-year long, deadly dictatorship. Besides being a cruel leader, Trujillo was also a "sexual deviant with his own unit of beauty scouts" that would travel around the DR in search of "young attractive girls" that he would kidnap and subsequently rape. Established the following year in 1960, their revolutionary movement would become known as "The 14 June Movement." and later in 1993, the UN General Assembly adopted "Resolution 48/104 for the Elimination of Violence Against Women" which defines this violence as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women." in 1999 the General Assembly cemented this decision by establishing 25 November as the "'International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women' in honor of the Mirabal Sisters." == Campaign conceptions ==

In 1989, feminist activist Charlotte Bunch established the CWGL at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in affiliation with the School of Arts & Sciences, as well as a part of the Office of International Programs. In 1991, two years after its inception, the CWGL hosted its first Women's Global Leadership Institute (WGLI). This was a conference that welcomed 23 women from various countries across the globe to discuss "different aspects of GBV and human rights, learning from one another's experiences and consequently developing strategies to increase international awareness of the systemic nature of VAW and to expose this violence as a violation of women's human rights." by "call[ing] upon individuals and organizations around the world to develop strategies for the prevention and elimination of VAWG." Beginning on 25 November (International Day Against Violence Against Women) and ending on 10 December (International Human Rights Day), a critical element during the campaign's infancy was "the launch of a worldwide petition drive aimed at the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights which was held in Vienna in 1993." == Institutional support ==

Global participation The CWGL's global petition urged the committee of the conference to "comprehensively address women's human rights at every level of its proceedings and to recognize GBV as a human rights issue." To solidify the intention behind the international conversations surrounding GBV and VAW, in 1999 the UN General Assembly established 25 November as the "International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women." a "multi-year effort" campaign, "aimed at raising public awareness and increasing political will and resources for preventing and ending VAWG in all parts of the world." Established to support the 16D campaign, the organization "calls on governments, civil society, women's organizations, young people, the private sector, media and the UN system to join forces to address the global pandemic of VAWG." UNiTE's vision can only truly be accomplished through international collaboration between foreign governments, and this is done through highlighting and publicizing the campaign's goals each year. Similarly, OHCHR is a critical agent in ensuring the success of the 16D campaign and annually works in tandem with "the media to promote the 16D and UNiTE campaigns," which over the nearly 40 years the campaign has been running has "made the case for sustained funding and support for women peacebuilders... as an essential prerequisite for addressing and eliminating gender-based violence." Campaign identity and strategies The 16D campaign has a strong mission identity, and has gained a significantly large presence online over the last decade, with recent years' topics focusing on digital violence – helping ensure that the discourse surrounding GBV continues to adapt alongside humanity, not in an attempt to catch up with it. The campaign uses orange as its primary branding color to "symbolize a brighter future" that is "free from violence." Participants of the 16D campaign across the globe can be seen in orange t-shirts, armbands and more during events and collaboration throughout the course of the 16 days. The key strategies that the campaign prioritizes are "awareness, advocacy, prevention, survivor-centered services and an intersectional lens." By framing GBV and VAW as global human rights issues, these strategies are critical for ensuring change that will benefit all women. Organizations such as OHCHR and UNiTE are the marketing and communication powerhouses that amplify the 16D campaign message across the world, enlightening and encouraging local grassroots organizations to host their own events and raise their own awareness in their respective communities. == Significant dates ==

The dates recognized during the course of the 16D campaign were explicitly chosen to connect conversations surrounding VAW and human rights together. • 25 November – International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women • 29 November – International Women Human Rights Defenders Day • 1 December – World AIDS Day • 3 December – International Day of Persons with Disabilities • 5 December – Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development • 6 December – Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, which is observed as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada • 10 December – International Human Rights Day and the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights == Themes over time ==

Every year, the 16D campaign either introduces a new theme, or continues an old theme. The theme focuses on one particular area of gender inequality and works to bring attention to these issues and make changes that will have an impact. Early themes (1991–2000) • 1991-1992: "Violence Against Women Violates Human Rights" • 1993: "Democracy in the Family, Democracy of Families, Democracy for Every Body" • 1994: "Awareness, Accountability, Action: Violence Against Women Violates Human Rights" • 1995: "Vienna, Cairo, Copenhagen and Beijing: Bringing Women's Human Rights Home" • This campaign focused on four major conferences, including the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing (September 1995), which was "the third major UN conference since the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna (1993)," and "...follows the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994), and the World Summit on Social Development (Copenhagen, 1995)." • 1996: "Bringing Women's Human Rights Home: Realizing Our Visions" • 1997: "Demand Human Rights in the Home and the World" • 1998: "Building a Culture of Respect for Human Rights" • 1999: "Fulfilling the Promise of Freedom from Violence" • 2000: "Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Campaign" • Participants reviewed the accomplishments of the last 10 years of the campaign. Mid-development themes (2001–2016) • 2001: "Racism and Sexism: No More Violence" • 2002: "Creating a Culture that Says No to Violence Against Women" • 2003: "Violence Against Women Violates Human Rights: Maintaining the Momentum Ten Years After Vienna" • Focused on reviewing changes that had occurred in the 10 years since the Vienna Declaration that was a result of the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna (1993) and the UN General Assembly's adoption of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (2003). • 2004-2005: "For the Health of Women, for the Health of the World: No More Violence" • Focused on the "intersection of violence against women and the HIV/AIDs pandemic." • 2006: "Celebrate 16 Years of 16 Days: Advance Human Rights ←> End Violence Against Women" • Celebrated not only those who had contributed to the campaign, but those who had given their lives or suffered violence during their fight against gender inequality. • 2007: "Demanding Implementation, Challenging Obstacles: End Violence Against Women" • 2008: "Human Rights for Women ←> Human Rights for All: UDHR60" • Celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. • 2009: "Commit, Act, Demand: We CAN End Violence Against Women!" • 2010: "Structures of Violence: Defining the Intersection of Militarism and Violence Against Women" • Celebrated the 20th anniversary of the campaign • 2011-2014: "From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let's Challenge Militarism and End Violence Against Women!" • 2015-2016: "From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Make Education Safe for All!" Recent themes (2019–2023) • 2019: "Ending Gender-Based Violence in the World of Work" • 2020: "Ending Gender-Based Violence in the World of Work with a focus on informal women workers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic" • Continued the multi-year theme of Ending GBV in the World of Work with a special focus on informal women workers who were most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. • 2021: "Domestic Violence and the World of Work" • Celebrated the 30th anniversary of the campaign • 2022: "Ending Femicide" • Contained a special focus on groups of women who are more vulnerable to femicide.[4] • 2023: "Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls" Current themes (2024–present) • 2024: "Femi(ni)cide in Focus" • 2025: "Gender Apartheid" • 2026: "#NoExcuse for Online Abuse" == How to get involved ==

Every individual can benefit from participating in the 16D campaign and its goal to eliminate VAWG and its "long-term health, social and economic consequences." The World Health Organization describes four different ways that one can contribute to the cause: • Allyship: this looks like "challeng[ing] unequal gender norms, sexist behaviors and comments in your homes, communities, workplaces and with your friends, relatives and colleagues." • Support: this means prioritizing empathy and supporting "without judgement, to access services and help." • Advocacy: this is working with "governments and donors to finance and invest in evidence-based prevention and response." • Intention: this looks like "integrat[ing] response and prevention services in development and humanitarian contexts." By having conversations, interacting with organizations and campaigns online, urging government collaboration and continuing to foster support worldwide to fight against GBV and contribute to elimination of VAWG and its repercussions. ==References==