16 Days of Activism

Gender-based violence (GBV) is one of the most pervasive forms of human rights violations, often intensified by conflict and humanitarian crises. In 2023, new wars in Gaza and Sudan, along with ongoing crises in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, drove GBV rates to an unprecedented scale.

According to the U.N. Secretary-General’s latest report on conflict-related sexual violence, 95% of reported incidents involved women and girls, with a 50% increase over the previous reporting cycle. However, many cases in crisis settings remain unreported and response programs underfunded.

In humanitarian contexts globally, women have led the charge in responding to crises of all sizes, especially with regard to preventing, mitigating, and responding to GBV. Women’s movements and women-led organizations have long been first responders to GBV and they work tirelessly to address the often dangerous and challenging lived realities of women and girls.

16 Days of Activism

November 25—the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women—marks the first day of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, an international campaign led by civil society to draw attention to the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls on a global scale.

The campaign spans 16 days until Human Rights Day on December 10, highlighting the link between ending violence against women and girls and the centrality of human rights principles. Every year, along with the United Nation’s Secretary General’s UNite campaign, the 16 Days of Activism establishes a general theme that calls for stakeholders—ranging from humanitarian and development practitioners to key donors—to end violence against women through awareness-building initiatives. The 2024 theme is “Come Together, Act Now.”

November 25 was chosen for International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in memory of the three Mirabal sisters, political activists murdered in the Dominican Republic in the 1960s. The Mirabal sisters’ story has served as a powerful call to action to not only end violence against women and girls, but also to empower women and emphasize the crucial role they play in their countries and communities. Feminist and women-led movements have long been key to sustainable change—often the reason why they are met with violence by those holding power.

The Blog Series

InterAction’s GBV Working Group will be publishing a blog series for the 16 Days of Activism dedicated to the role of women’s movements across crises and conflicts. Each of these blogs will showcase the centrality and role of either individual women or women-led movements and organizations across nine country or regional contexts. Importantly, we’ll hear from women working in these contexts themselves—whenever it is safe to do so.

The blog series will draw on organizations’ operational programming and advocacy initiatives to end violence against women and girls from Guatemala to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and East Africa to Ukraine.

Follow the series for the next 16 days to support and amplify efforts to prevent and eliminate violence against women. As blogs are posted, they will also be added below.

Blogs

• Women on the Frontline of Sudan’s Crisis Response
  By Dr. Hiba Ahmed Khalil Badr (Sudan Family Planning Association), Isadora Quay (Gender in Emergencies Group), and Sadia Najma Kidwai (Women’s Refugee Commission)
• Strengthening Responses to Gender-Based Violence in Ukraine
  By Abbie Treff and Janae Namer (World Vision)
• Women, Incarceration, and Gender-Based Violence: Why the Silence?
  By Martin Coria (Church World Service) and Paula Casco (RIMUF)
• Combating Gender-Based Violence in Burkina Faso: How Corus International is Empowering Women and Building Resilience
  By Kouka Zoungrana (Corus International)
• We Keep Us Safe: Women Protecting Women in South Sudan
  By Cate Longo (Nonviolent Peaceforce) and Mama Sunday (Juba IDP Camp)
• Addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo
  By Siena Greenwell (Jhpiego) and Sylvie Mazambi (Women Power DRC)
• Comprehensive Sexuality Education: A Need for Protection and Empowerment in Guatemala
  By Dulce Escalante and Faiza Husainy (International Rescue Committee)
• Voices, Silences, and the Weight We Carry: Closing the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV
  By Dina Hanania (CARE)