16 Days Calls for End to Violence Against Women

"Violence against women and girls continues unabated in every continent, country and culture. It takes a devastating toll on women’s lives, on their families, and on society as a whole. Most societies prohibit such violence — yet the reality is that too often, it is covered up or tacitly condoned."
~ UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon

At least in the Western world, many people believe that the “battle” for equal rights for women has been won. More women in the work place, in “traditional” male roles, in positions of power. Mark that one off the list and move on to the next task. Not so. Violence against women all over the world is, as the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) states, “a problem of pandemic proportions.” According to a UN General Assembly 2006 study, “at least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime.”

In order to raise awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue and to empower others to take positive action in ending violence against women, The Center for Women’s Global Leadership is sponsoring “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence,” from November 25 – December 10. Since December 10 is the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, the theme for this year is “Human Rights for Women: Human Rights for All.”

The goal of the campaign is to eliminate all forms of violence against women by:

• raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international levels
• strengthening local work around violence against women
• establishing a clear link between local and international work to end violence against women
• providing a forum in which organizers can develop and share new and effective strategies
• demonstrating the solidarity of women around the world organizing against violence against women
• creating tools to pressure governments to implement promises made to eliminate violence against women

According to the website,

“Participants chose the dates, November 25, International Day Against Violence Against Women and December 10, International Human Rights Day, in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights. This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre.”

The campaign website includes a Take Action Kit, as well as a list of resources.

You can find out more information about issues surrounding violence against women at the UNIFEM website.


~ Marsha