16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is a global campaign calling for an end to violence against women and girls.
WAGGGS
16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence
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 work and programmes to #StopTheViolencePeriod.
Each year, WAGGGS and the Stop the Violence campaign invite the Movement to join an awareness-raising campaign on a certain thematic area. This year, we are focusing on the legal system, mechanisms, and human rights infrastructures in place around the world to address violence and discrimination against women and girls. We must #KnowHerRights in order to be able to use the law, and advocate for better. We are leading #GenerationJustice to ensure girls and women can be protected and access justice. Read more here and download our overview document on the realities experienced by girls and young women, the data and the impact of violence on girls, including technology facilitated gender-based violence.
There are key international conventions that promote women’s rights and access to justice including:
The Istanbul Convention (Europe): Preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.
The Maputo Protocol(Africa): Advancing women’s rights within the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
CEDAW (Global): The foundational UN treaty for the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.
ASEAN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children(Asia).
Join us across our social media channels to find out more about these mechanisms, details of our 16 Days of Activism webinar on December 1st, 2025, and let’s explore together the big question, Does International Law Still Matter?
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 to #KnowHerRights and lead #GenerationJustice
Advocate for change: Help us to raise awareness and create change in our world against gender-based violence, malpractices and inequality, raising awareness about the legal mechanisms in place and advocating for those that are missing and needed.
Be social: Share, tag, and comment on WAGGGS channels - we are louder together and will be unstoppable as #GenerationJustice. Use your voice so that everyone can #KnowHerRights
Share the actions you’re taking and why this matters.
Get Vocal: Your voices are crucial in guiding the future we want, and highlighting what’s missing. We will be asking Girl Guides and Girl Scouts for their views, concerns and needs for and from AI. A survey link will be available here.
Remember to use the hashtags #KnowHerRights and #GenerationJustice in your posts, as well as #16Days, to connect as a movement for change and learn from each other.
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
WAGGGS SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
Previous WAGGGS Campaigns
- 2024: #StopTheViolence - understand how violence happens and take action to be the change. We will not stand still whilst almost 1 in 4 adolescent girls (24%) have already been physically, sexually, or psychologically abused by a partner by the time they are 19.
- 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 on 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.
