November 25th & 16 Days of Activism

WSO asks: What will your 16 days of activism consist of?




This year marks the 17th anniversary of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence — an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute in 1991, when participants chose the dates November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and December 10, International Human Rights Day, in order to symbolically emphasize that violence against women is a human rights violation. The 16 Days Campaign has been embraced as an organizing strategy by a broad spectrum of individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women through activities ranging from media programmes to demonstrations, conferences, exhibitions and performances.

The overarching theme of this year’s campaign — Demanding Implementation, Challenging Obstacles — indicates that while there has been much progress made, challenges persist that hinder the effectiveness of efforts by activists and organizations to prevent and respond to the violence women suffer everywhere around the globe.

The 16 Days Campaign seeks to help dismantle obstacles and overcome challenges posed by social attitudes and policies that condone and perpetuate gender-based violence.

Its starting date, November 25th, was chosen in honour of the Mirabal sisters, political activists from the Dominican Republic who were assassinated on the same day in 1961. The three sisters were murdered for their efforts to oppose dictatorship in their country, and their legacy of bravery and compassion has made them national and international heroines.

It was in 1999 that the United Nations officially joined the campaign by designating 25 November the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (resolution 54/134). This followed on from a 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, in which the UN General Assembly resolved “that violence against women constitutes a violation of the rights and freedoms of women” & identified “a need for ... commitment by the international community at large to the elimination of violence against women.” UN agencies have since partnered with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and governments to conduct regional campaigns to raise awareness and mobilize community action. UNIFEM, as part of its deep involvement in the global fight to eradicate violence against women, has taken the
lead in coordinating several UN inter-agency campaigns in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the CEE/CIS region, to foster and promote innovative strategies to address the issue.

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