16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is a global campaign calling for an end to violence against women and girls.
16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is a global campaign calling for an end to violence against women and girls. It takes place every year and begins on the 25th November, the International Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women and finishes on Human Rights Day, the 10th of December.
Each year, WAGGGS and the Stop the Violence campaign invites the Movement to join an awareness-raising campaign on a certain thematic area. This year we are building on our existing work and programmes to #StopTheViolence and better understand how violence happens within the crossroads of life and never in a vacuum.
Living a life with integrity, respect and without fear of violence is a human right for every being, yet, one in three women around the world is experiencing gender-based violence. Reflecting on girls, as a youth-led movement, by the time they are 19 years old, almost 1 in 4 adolescent girls (24%) who have been in a relationship have already been physically, sexually, or psychologically abused by a partner.
The Beijing Platform for Action, was initiated in 1995 and united countries in committing to a world free from discrimination, promoting equality and justice. Whilst it’s a process and commitment older than many of our Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (!) thirty years later, this anniversary in March 2025, is a critical movement and opportunity to course correct and shape a better future. The voices of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts must be at this table!
Throughout 16 Days of Activism, we support and encourage girls and young women to see the connections, impact and symbiotic relationship that varying areas can have on increasing the risk, severity and on-going effects of gender-based violence.
We will focus on six of the 12 critical focus areas from the Beijing Platform for Action which hone in on women and - poverty, health, human rights, armed conflict, and the environment, all through the lens of violence against women.
How can YOU take and inspire action?
Join us in one of the three ways below and get involved in our 16 Days of Activism campaign, #StopTheViolence.
- Advocate for change: Help us to raise awareness and create change in our world against gender-based violence, malpractices and inequality. We're sharing some ideas and resources below to get you started.
- Be social: Share, tag, and comment on WAGGGS channels - we are louder together and there is #NoExcuse for gender-based violence.
- Download and update your own profile image twibbon and proudly make a stand against violence. Ready to download here.
- Share the actions you’re taking and why this matters.
- Get Vocal: Your voices are crucial in guiding the future we want, and your participation, concerns, and recommendations are vital for developing solutions from a youth perspective! If you were leading the U.N. for the day, what one message would you want everyone to know, make happen and set into place as policy, commitment and action. Tell us what you would want the leader of the United Nations to know, and we’ll deliver this to him, the Secretary General, in person at the Commission of the Status of Women / Beijing +30 in March 2025, when girls like you, will attend and take part on behalf of WAGGGS. Share your short message here.
Remember to use the hashtag #StopTheViolence in your posts, as well as #16DaysofActivism to connect as a movement for change and learn from each other.
Your Advocacy activities, Resources and Reading materials
THE COMMUNICATIONS ASSETS
We have prepared sample social media graphics and design assets to help support your organisation to take part: From ‘oranging’ your digital spaces raising awareness, to adding your voice to the demands we’re taking to the U.N., running activities and understanding how GBV is interconnected across many themes to sharing content, inspiring action to create a world free of gender based violence.
- ACTIVITY: In your unit/pack/region, discuss how the news, media and digital content represent and tell stories about violence against women and girls. Download the activity here.
- WATCH: Learn more about the Beijing Platform for Action and themes here with the Beijing+30 launch event video.
- READ: Find out more about the impact of GBV and the facts here, using these key messages in your action during 16 Days of Activism and beyond.
- ADD YOUR VOICE: Share with us what you would like to the Secretary General of the United Nations, and world leaders to take action on and put in place so that girls like you are safe and free of gender-based violence on and offline. Girl Guides and Girls Scouts will then take these to New York in March 2025, to share what your solutions and what you want to see in the world. We are over 10 million and our voices matter! Share your short message here - first name, age, country, Girl Guide / Girl Scout and message (max. 50 words).
Previous WAGGGS Campaigns
- 2023: #Stoptheviolenceperiod to encourage and support girls, within and beyond the Movement, to dismantle the myths and smash some of the stigmas.
- 2022: #SheSurfsFreedom calling on digital spaces that are safe, healthy, regulated and free from violence for girls and women. Collaborating with Malala Fund to campaign and also hosted an online webinar on digital safety.
- 2021: #HerStoryIsOurStory we created Brave Spaces for girls around the world to share their voice and stories on the experience, prevalence and thoughts of gender-based violence.
- 2020: #notHERfault we stood against victim blaming, the shaming of girls and women who have been made to feel like they are responsible for the violence inflicted on them.
- 2019: #OurStreetsToo #ImHereForHer we stood in solidarity with girls and women who experience harassment in the streets
- 2018: #OurStreetsToo we called on governments around the world to stop street harassment
- 2017: #GirlsAreUnsafe identified where girls felt the most unsafe by asking them to draw these places.
- 2016: #16 Ways in #16Days shared stories and small personal steps everyone can take.
- 2015: For Girls are valuable we asked girls to make noise about how girls aren’t valued.
- 2014: For 16 Days. 16 Voices. we delivered a Stop the Violence Facilitators Training.
- 2013: Bust the Myths: 16 Myths for 16 Days, showcased a harmful belief or myth along with the reality.
- 2012: From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Creating Safe Spaces asked groups to identify a space to make free from violence.
Previous 16 Days resources are available here.
Consent
Please seek consent before sharing images with us. By sharing photos with us, you consent for these images to be shared externally, on social media and our website. Make sure girls are not taking pictures of each other and sharing them on social media or other channels without permission.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with the Stop the Violence team at the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts via email: stoptheviolence@wagggs.org
