16 days of activism presentation

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• In Focus: 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence 2023

UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls  

The un trust fund to end violence against women is marking the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence from 25 november to 10 december 2023, under the global theme set by the un secretary-general’s unite campaign: “ unite invest to prevent violence against women and girls. ”  .

Violence against women and girls is still the most pervasive, widespread human right violation. It can take many forms, from physical violence to economic or psychological violence. It has far-reaching, long-term consequences, from school dropout and reduced economic opportunities, to lack of confidence and agency or profound physical and mental health issues. But one thing is certain: violence against women and girls is preventable. There is #NoExcuse to not act against violence. 

Around the world, civil society and women’s rights organizations have been mobilizing and powering feminist movements to prevent these various forms of gender-based violence. Their unwavering commitment to protecting women and girls’ right to live free from violence through different innovative pathways , from inspiring community changemakers, providing support services to survivors, to advocating for stronger laws and policies to end violence.

This 16 Days of Activism campaign, be part of the change, be part of the prevention movement. 

Beyond 16 days, the UN Trust Fund supports civil society and women's rights organizations to lead life-saving projects around the world to prevent and end all forms of violence against women and girls. Apply now to the UN Trust Fund 27th cycle Call for Proposals: click here.

Amplifying the voices of UN Trust Fund grantee organizations working to prevent violence against women and girls 

ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Celebrate the 16 Days of Activism with us online! Join us on social media in speaking up against all forms of violence against women and girls and calling for stronger support to prevent gender-based violence. 

Amplify our messages, learn about the different ways to prevent violence against women and girls and the importance to adequately resource civil society and women’s rights organizations working in this field.  

Share your own experience and best practice to prevent gender-based violence through stories and videos tagging @UNTrustFundEVAW.  

Donate to the UN Trust Fund to make lasting change for women and girls: click here.  

Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram @UNTrustFundEVAW , and join the conversations using #NoExcuse. 

SHINE Hub is produced by the UN Trust Fund in collaboration with the Spotlight Initiative to enable and facilitate dialogue among civil society organizations, the United Nations, practitioners, academics and researchers, the private sector, donors, and other partners working to end violence against women. It offers the combined power of a virtual exchange hub, convening platform and multilingual tool to inform global policy, programming, and advocacy on ending violence against women and girls. 

"Pathways to Prevention" podcast

Background: 

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign that takes place each year. It begins on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on 10 December, Human Rights Day, indicating that violence against women is the most pervasive breach of human rights worldwide.   

In support of this civil society initiative, under the leadership of the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women campaign (UNiTE Campaign), calls for global action to increase awareness, galvanise advocacy efforts and share knowledge and innovations. 

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16 Days of Activism

About our Campaign

• 16 days of activism
• #IMatter Campaign
• Say 'Enough' to violence against women and girls

The Global 16 Days of Activism Campaign, launched by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership  (CWGL) and feminists from around the world at the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991, has been used worldwide to call for the elimination of gender-based violence (GBV). It is run annually from November 25 (International Day Against Violence Against Women) to December 10 (International Human Rights Day). Barriers to achieving gender justice, such as harmful social norms, continue to exist, however, feminist activism has been a driving force for progress challenging harmful norms and on eliminating gender-based violence.

Oxfam comes together with its partners and allies to spotlight the pervasiveness of gender-based violence, show that there are solutions and demand an end to it.

Violence is violence – from a fist or a pen

Right now, those in charge are making choices that disproportionately hurt & kill women in the name of ‘the economy’ and COVID-19 recovery.

This is a form of gender-based violence, and it is not inevitable or accidental. These economic decisions are about what –and who –those in power value. Governments and those who advise them must make better choices. Find out more about what we can do!

Read the full report here

The Ignored Pandemic:

Read the 2021 report on how gender-based violence has largely been ignored in the COVID-19 response and recovery plans, despite being a global pandemic itself. Published on the 30thanniversary of the 16 Days.

Read the report here

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Why does 16 Days of Activism matter?

Today highlights sexual and gender-based violence in every society, but it also aims to challenge the silence and impunity that surrounds it in so many parts of the world.

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16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an annual campaign that starts on 25 November – the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women – and wraps up on 10 December, Human Rights Day. 

Global estimates published this year by the World Health Organization indicate that about 1 in 3 (or roughly 736 million) women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. This figure might sound familiar to you because a recent United Nations report stated that, alarmingly, this number remains unchanged for the past decade.

Most of this violence is intimate partner violence. Worldwide, almost one third (27%) of women aged 15-49 years who have been in a relationship report that they have been subjected to some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner. 

An escalation during COVID-19

To make matters worse, the COVID-19 pandemic saw SGBV cases vastly escalate . Due to a combination of lockdown and quarantine measures, lost work and study opportunities, and an increased pressure on domestic demands, many women and girls have been confined at home with their abusers, creating the so-called ‘hidden pandemic’.

Sexual and reproductive health interventions are important in terms of preventing, responding to and eliminating all forms of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women and girls. Many women and girls lack access to the most basic free essential services for their safety, protection and recovery, exposing them to reproductive coercion, unplanned and high-risk pregnancies and unsafe abortion. SGBV also increases women’s vulnerability to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). 

Solutions must come from the highest levels

This troubling situation cannot be ignored, and the elimination of SGBV must be made a priority worldwide at the highest levels. In order to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls globally, IPPF calls on all governments to:

• Respect, protect and fulfill their human rights obligations to gender equality and to a life free of violence for all, including women, adolescents and girls
• Develop and/or review laws addressing SGBV, involving victims and survivors in the process
• intimate partner violence (IPV)
• marital rape
• sexual harassment
• child, early forced marriage 
• female genital mutilation (FGM)
• End impunity of perpetrators of SGBV
• Increase funding for SGBV prevention, mitigation and response
• Prioritize reaching the most marginalized populations, including adolescent girls, sex workers, undocumented migrants, gender non-conforming people, indigenous people, and people living with disabilities, among others.
• Meaningfully include women human rights defenders, feminist groups, youth-led organizations, and others as strategic partners in the implementation of their commitments
• Ensure access to emergency helplines, police and justice sector response, sexual and reproductive health care, safe accommodation, shelter and psycho-social counselling.

We must remember that violence against women is preventable – but to make it happen, the commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls must be unwavering. This 16 Days of Activism not only highlights the existence of sexual and gender-based violence in every society, but it also aims to challenge the silence and impunity that surrounds it in so many parts of the world. Thus, governments worldwide must use these 16 days and beyond to firmly commit once and for all. 736 million women are depending on it. 

23 November 2021

Selamawit is IPPF's Senior UN Advocacy Adviser

Related Content

16 days of activism against gender-based violence 2020.

This year, we are putting the spotlight on the links between gender-based violence and the world of work. This could mean the violence and harassment women face while working, or on their way to/from…

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Just as gender-based violence takes on many insidious forms, so does digital gender-based violence: image-based abuse aka non-consensual sharing of intimate images or “revenge porn” , cyberstalking, online harassment, sextortion, online trafficking, doxxing. The perpetrator could be a stranger on another continent or someone known next door who has weaponized technology and a target’s sexuality against her. Marginalized groups, including people with disabilities and LGBTQI individuals, may be even more vulnerable.

For survivors and victims of this sexualized abuse, like the young women whose stories are shared here, there is no distinction between real and virtual. Logging off doesn’t end the terror. The consequences are certainly all too real – fear, panic, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal thoughts and worse, among others. Our online and offline lives can blur into each other so as to be indistinguishable. Even if and after the violence ends, the scars endure. Survivors may limit Internet use or leave entirely, depriving themselves of community and connection, exploration and discovery, economic opportunity, education and entertainment.

Virtual violence is violence. Online abuse is abuse.

Virtual violence is violence. Online abuse is abuse. Women and girls have the right to feel safe in all spaces, wherever they are.

Like other forms of gender-based violence, this type of abuse is intended to make someone feel alone and powerless. If you have experienced digital gender-based violence, know that you are not alone – you are experiencing what many other women and girls face in this technological age. Talk with trusted friends and family. Don't allow fear or embarrassment to prevent you from reaching out for help.

The Stories

Do we need a copyright symbol for human bodies? Raise awareness about digital violence.

Take Action

A virtual world free of violence is possible. UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, supports the right of all women and girls to live without fear of gender-based violence or abuse in all spaces, including online. Everyone plays a role in making this more than a hope but a reality.

The UNFPA bodyright campaign declares that women and girls own their bodies and images of their bodies and sharing them in any form without their consent is a violation of their human rights, privacy, dignity and bodily autonomy. Sign the UNFPA and Global Citizen bodyright petition calling on technology and content companies to give women’s and girls’ bodies the same protection and respect as a legal copyrighted entity. Share the bodyright symbol to show your support for the inalienable rights of women and girls.

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?

For everybody:.

Anyone who shares another’s intimate images without her consent – even if a sharer is not the original perpetrator – is committing violence against women. Let the disruption start with you. See people attacking, bullying or threatening someone online? Don’t join in. Post positive messages to counter the negative. Report the abuse to the technology platform. One cybermob attack survivor said she felt seen and supported by people who defended her.

For technology companies:

UNFPA joined the World Wide Web Foundation in its call to Facebook, Google, TikTok and Twitter to prioritize the safety of women online, holding them to the pledges made to do so during the 2021 Generation Equality Forum in Paris. But there are many more platforms. In the words of Thorn, which works to end online child sexual abuse, “We won’t achieve the goal of building an Internet that is safe until every platform with an upload button has adopted proactive detection measures.”

For lawmakers and law enforcement:

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, “In 64 of 86 countries, law enforcement agencies and courts appear to be failing to take appropriate corrective actions to address online violence against women.” Lawmakers need to recognize the pervasive and prevalent nature of the violence and support legislative and regulatory responses that meet the needs of women and girls, including creation and resourcing of independent monitoring and regulatory bodies. For example, Australia’s Office of the E-Safety Commissioner is serving as a model for countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom in addressing online safety. Seeking justice should not have to be another traumatizing experience.

Like other forms of gender-based violence, this type of abuse is intended to make someone feel alone and powerless. If you have experienced digital gender-based violence, know that you are not alone – you are experiencing what many other women and girls face in this technological age.

Talk with trusted friends and family. Don't allow fear or embarrassment to prevent you from reaching out for help.

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What are the 16 days of Activism, and why should you care?

The 16 Days of Activism campaign calls for action against one of the world’s most persistent violations of human rights – violence against women.

Saturday 25 November 2023 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and marks day one of the 16 Days of Activism.

Each year, from 25 November to 10 December, World Human Rights Day, the 16 Days of Activism campaign calls for action against one of the world’s most persistent violations of human rights – violence against women.

During the 16 Days of Activism, people around the world unite to raise awareness about gender-based violence, challenge discriminatory attitudes and call for improved laws and services to end violence against women for good.

Use our 16 Days Resources!

This 16 Days of Activism, join us in raising awareness of what needs to change to prevent violence against women and girls from happening in the first place at local, national, regional and international levels.

IWDA has created  informative factsheets and social media graphics  for you to learn about the history and meaning of the day.

How did the 16 Days of Activism come about?

On 25 November 1960, sisters Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa Mirabal, three political activists who actively opposed the cruelty and systematic violence of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic, were clubbed to death and dumped at the bottom of a cliff by Trujillo’s secret police.

The Mirabal sisters became symbols of the feminist resistance, and in commemoration of their deaths 25 November was declared International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in Latin America in 1980. This international day was formally recognised by the United Nations in 1999.

In June 1991, the  Centre for Women’s Global Leadership  (CWGL), alongside participants of the first Women’s Global Institute on Women, Violence and Human Rights, called for a global campaign of  16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence .

The 16 days begins with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and ends with International Human Rights Day on 10 December– highlighting that violence against women is a fundamental violation of human rights.

Why does this matter?

Violence against women continues to occur at an alarming scale in every country in the world. Too often it is accepted as normal behaviour and the global culture of discrimination against women allows violence to occur with impunity. Recent movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp have propelled this issue onto the global stage.

Speaking out against women’s rights abuses is something that women’s rights organisations, including IWDA, do every day. From lobbying governments to improve laws and services to working with communities to change discriminatory attitudes and behaviours, organisations and individuals are working all over the world to respond to and prevent violence against women.

However, violence against women is a global problem and it requires global action. Calls for action like the 16 days of Activism are crucial because they shine a spotlight on the issue of violence against women. They are a moment to create public awareness about what needs to change to prevent it from happening in the first place at local, national, regional and international levels.

Who needs to be involved?

To end violence against women, we need to challenge the attitudes that perpetuate, rationalise and normalise that violence, and deny women’s right to safety. Men are overwhelmingly the perpetrators of gender-based violence. To see violence truly eliminated, the attitudes of men need to change. Shifting these behaviours is hard and slow, but gender equality means all of us, and working with all genders is the only way to see true change.

We’re working with both women and men across Asia and the Pacific to see gender-based violence to run awareness-raising and violence prevention programs.

During the 16 days we will be highlighting the issue of violence against women in Australia, Asia and the Pacific regions and in our world, as well as the action which IWDA’s partners are taking to drive change.

Tweet #16Days , support women’s organisations, march in your cities – your voices are a critical part of the global movement to end violence against women. Together we must call on governments, organisations and people everywhere to speak out against violence.

Violence against women is not inevitable; it is preventable. Tell your families, schools, communities and workplaces. Together, our message will be amplified, and our voices heard.

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16 Days of Activism 2023

25 November to 10 December 2023

The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children Campaign is a United Nations campaign, which is held annually from 25 November (International Day for No Violence Against Women) to 10 December (International Human Rights Day). Other key commemorative days observed annually during this 16-day period include World Aids Day on 1 December and the International Day for Persons with Disabilities on 3 December.

This year marks the 25th anniversary since South Africa initiated the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children campaign. The 16 Days campaign focuses on raising awareness to the devastating impact that gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) has on women and children, and the social fabric of our society.

The campaign will be launched on 25 November 2023, in Mpumalanga Province, and the theme for the 16 Days of Activism Campaign for 2023 is: “Accelerating actions to end gender-based violence & femicide: leaving no one behind”. The sub-theme for this year is: “Safe access for women to clean water: a basic human right”.

The theme speaks to the importance of ensuring an all-society and multi-faceted approach to fight GBVF. The sub-theme seeks to address barriers women face in safely accessing water and sanitation in South Africa.

For communities

a. Be an activist against GBV in your homes, communities, work and positions:

• Challenge cultures and practices that perpetuate gender inequalities and consequent abuse of women and children at personal and societal level.

b. Play your part:

• Reject and report abusers- Act and don’t look away!
• Do not protect abusers, report them!
• Sign the Pledge Against Gender-Based Violence. Do not engage in abusive activities and become an abuser- Stop abuse.
• Challenge and denounce cultural practices that perpetuate gender inequalities
• Be sensitive and supportive to GBV victims - share helpful information and support causes near you.
• Seek personal help to change harmful behaviors such as alcohol and substance abuse
• Teach children values of gender equality
• Protect children from exposure to violence and harmful content on internet and social media, including pornography, sexual solicitation
• Develop policies that prevent and deal with gender based violence in your sector, workplace and communities.
• Organise targeted community outreach and dialogues on solution towards a gender equal society.   

Together, let us take actions to support the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign.

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16 Days of Activism Toolkit

Call to action.

The 16 Days of Activism begins on November 25, the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women and ends on December 10th, Human Rights Day. We encourage you to use this resource alongside your parish, school or other community as you celebrate the 16 Days of Activism.

How to Use this Toolkit 

This toolkit is intended to inspire faith-based action and prolonged reflection on ending gender-based violence. We have divided the toolkit into 16 Actions, parallel to the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence. Each action starts with a relevant scripture or quote, followed by a fact sheet, an action step and a reflection. Consider writing down your reflections for deepened learning and engagement. We encourage you to use this resource alongside your parish, school, or other community as you celebrate the 16 Days of Activism, however this toolkit’s application and the work to end gender-based violence extends to 365 days.

Trigger warning

This toolkit includes resources, factual accounts and narratives around themes of physical and sexual violence and other forms of gender-based discrimination. This content may be difficult for some. We encourage you always to care for your safety and well-being.

Josephine Hicks, Vice President, Episcopal Church Programs

“Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? I will, with God’s help.” This portion of the Baptismal Covenant reflects a driving principle behind all of Episcopal Relief & Development’s work. In everything we do, we seek to respect the dignity of every human being.  This includes eliminating barriers to growth and development. For women and children, those barriers can include unequal access to economic resources and decision-making. Worse, women and children too often suffer from violence. Violence has a devastating impact not only on the women who are direct victims of violence, but also on families and communities. It also contributes to cycles of poverty. By contrast, preventing violence, promoting equal access to economic opportunities and decision-making, and cultivating women as leaders help women thrive and become productive contributors to their communities and economies. This toolkit will help you and your congregation learn more about these important issues and Episcopal Relief & Development’s transformative work in this area.

Tammi Mott, Vice President, International Program Operations

At Episcopal Relief & Development, we and our partners around the world share a vision for the work we do. It is a vision of community where all people — regardless of age, sex, gender or gender identity — live together in abundant dignity, trust, hope and love.  This vision springs from our faith in the goodness of creation and our belief that every being is created equally in God’s image.  This vision is sustained by our deep commitment to our work, as demonstrated throughout the stories and resource links in this toolkit,  which are both hope-filled and transformational in helping women and girls to rise up empowered and resilient. Be it for 16 or 365 days, I invite you to join with us and our global partners as we journey toward this vision.  I lift up to you this toolkit and the opportunities it provides to learn more, pray more and do more, so that, by our working, together gender-based violence may truly be no more.

The Rev. Pascual Torres, co-founder and Executive Director, Siempre Unidos

“There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28). Siempre Unidos is a faith-based organization committed to eradicating gender-based violence (GBV) and all other forms of violence and discrimination. We welcome the initiative launched by Episcopal Relief & Development, 16 Days of Activism against GBV, by sharing stories, reflecting together, praying and acting. For those who accept the invitation, the toolkit provides resources for the journey that will empower them to respond effectively and, to step firmly into the fight to eradicate a form of violence so subtle that it masks itself as culturally correct, socially accepted, harmless and sometimes even funny. The material in this toolkit reflects its roots and connection with the Baptismal Covenant of the Episcopal Church as it is written in its Book of Common Prayer: “Will you persevere in resisting evil… Will you seek to serve Christ in all persons… Will you strive for justice… and respect the dignity of every human being?” it asks. And the people respond, “I will with God’s help. Amen.”

Introduction: Chiseche Salome Mibenge, Director, Gender Initiatives

Episcopal Relief & Development’s global work with local community members, faith leaders and other partners focuses on attaining gender equity, balancing structures of power in societies and encouraging shared decision making in household and other roles. The organization works with partners to define specific actions to address discrimination, gender-based violence (GBV) and other forms of abuse in their contexts.

Partners bring impressive innovation and energy to promoting women’s rights and gender equity. For example, in a rural community in Liberia, young female athletes gathered for a soccer tournament. They wore their team colors proudly, and they had two goals: to win the game and to raise awareness of youth-led activism to eliminate violence against girls in Liberia’s schools.

The players had undergone hours of coaching as well as years of training about the rights of women and children and the realities of GBV in their schools and communities. Their training was facilitated by the Episcopal Church of Liberia – Relief & Development (ECLRD), the humanitarian arm of Liberia’s Episcopal Church and a long-term partner of Episcopal Relief & Development. Episcopal Relief & Development works with ECLRD and its networks to encourage and train faith leaders to speak out against violence and to change cultural norms in their communities that create an environment that enables violence. Uniting for change at the soccer tournament, a focal point for fun and for raising awareness, was just one activity Christian and Muslim youth leaders in Liberia carried out across 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (the 16 Days of Activism).

The Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers University in New Jersey started the 16 Days of Activism in 1991 to amplify feminist voices and bridge women’s movements globally in order to secure women’s rights. The campaign runs each year from November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) until December 10 (World Human Rights Day). These dates were chosen specifically to reinforce the message that GBV is a violation of human rights. Each year, millions of people unite across the globe during these days to raise awareness and initiate discussions in their communities, challenge discriminatory attitudes and fight for a world free of violence against women and girls.

Annually, Episcopal Relief & Development’s partners in countries such as Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Liberia, Brazil and Honduras mobilize communities at local and national levels to engage in 16 Days of Activism. Liberian youth faith leaders sponsored by ECLRD have protested against violence using theater, music, and soccer; sex workers in Honduras, accompanied by The Episcopal Church’s health ministry, marched through a red-light district and raised awareness about the right to live free from violence; and women in the Anglican Diocese of Muyinga , Burundi, marched with the bishop, and used drama, dance, song and dialogue to raise awareness of GBV and promote women’s empowerment.

Episcopal Relief & Development has published a  toolkit for the 16 Days of Activism. The toolkit’s objectives are:

• to encourage all its networks to join in this global effort;
• to raise awareness of GBV and the work being done to address it; and
• to amplify the voices and prayers of all working together for gender equity and the empowerment of the most vulnerable women in their communities, such as women with disabilities, and incarcerated women.

Gender-Based Violence

Gender-based violence (GBV) is violence directed against people because of their sex, gender, gender identity or expression, or is violence that disproportionately affects people of a particular gender. Intimate-partner violence is the most pervasive form of GBV worldwide; Almost one-third (30%) of women who have been in a relationship report experiencing some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner in their lifetime. [1] GBV reinforces stereotypes and inequalities in society, and it disproportionately affects women and girls.

The subordination of women’s rights all over the world is sustained by harmful social, cultural and religious attitudes and practices and, in some cases, is encoded in law and policy. GBV occurs in various forms such as domestic violence, sexual assault, forced sterilization, child marriage, revenge porn and cyber-stalking. It  commonly is categorized into five central inter-related forms:

• Physical violence
• Psychological violence
• Sexual violence
• Socio-economic violence
• Spiritual violence

Spiritual violence is described as coercion and control of one individual by another in a faith context that can occur within faith communities. This abuse may include: misuse of Scripture or the pulpit to control behavior; excusing violent behavior; requiring submission to abuse; and reinforcing male privilege, for example by suggesting that the abuser has a divine position or that victims’ endurance of abuse is Christ-like. [2]

On November 25, 2013, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the former presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, stated:

Our churches must accept responsibility for our own part in perpetuating oppressive attitudes towards women. In penitence and faith, we must move forward in such a way that our churches truly become a living witness to our belief that both women and men are made in the image of God. [3]

As Christians, we believe that God created all humans equally, in God’s image, and that all are worthy of dignity, adequate resources and to be in loving, liberating and life-giving relationship with God, one another and God’s creation. Our Scriptures, Jesus’ Way of Love and our Baptismal Covenant call us to love one another and to seek and serve Christ in all persons. GBV, however, continues to be an obstacle to that vision for equality, development and peace. The promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – to leave no one behind – also cannot be fulfilled without putting an end to GBV.

Faith leaders have a unique position of trust and influence at both the individual and community levels to claim and nurture this vision, acting as catalysts of change. Ultimately, to be lasting and effective, change must occur within our own hearts, homes and communities. All these are areas in which faith leaders are actively engaged.

[1] https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women

[2] Restored, A Handbook for Female Christian Survivors of Domestic Abuse (2019)

[3] https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/pressreleases/presiding-bishops-sermon-opening-16-days-against-gender-violence/

The Toolkit

The Episcopal Church General Convention has passed various Resolutions calling for a faith-based response to gender-based violence (GBV). In 2012, the Church resolved that parishes and dioceses be encouraged to participate in annual awareness campaigns about gender violence ; and, in 2015, it noted that it deeply regretted the lack of progress in stemming the global pandemic of violence against women and requested that its clergy and congregations speak out to transform the unjust silence of society in the face of this widespread practice of violence . [1]  This toolkit provides a framework for users to join a global faith-based movement against GBV, by praying, learning and acting together.

Episcopal Relief & Development’s work engages community and faith leaders to take action and speak out against violence around the world. Its programs play a pivotal role in creating interfaith networks in many countries that perpetuate injustice and discrimination. This toolkit draws heavily from the learnings from this work.

The toolkit is a set of resources specifically to help guide people of faith through the 16 Days of Activism and beyond, to a 365-day commitment to restoring dignity to individuals, families and communities everywhere. The toolkit will remain accessible as a usable and valuable resource all year.

Episcopal Relief & Development encourages users with a social media account such as Twitter to share Scripture and facts and to pray for all those facing GBV as well as those actively engaged in ministries to combat it. The toolkit contains resources for faith and community-based action. Users also can share how they are using these resources by tagging @EpiscopalRelief or using the hashtag #16DaysofActivism.  

A Faith and Community-Based Toolkit

This toolkit inspires prolonged reflection rooted in faith. It provides users with Scripture that can reinforce our belief in the inherent and equal dignity of all God’s children as made in God’s image, and it centers responses to survivors of GBV in our faith.

All of the reflections and actions contained within the toolkit can be completed alone. However, groups, such as youth and women’s ministries, and collective prayer groups, are encouraged to consider using them.

An Evidence-Based Toolkit

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, in his statement to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, spoke about the disproportionate suffering of women: women of color; women of African descent; indigenous women; women with disabilities; women experiencing discrimination for their ethnicity, race, caste, descent, language, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity/expression; migrant, refugee, internally displaced, undocumented or stateless women; enslaved, trafficked or incarcerated women; rural women; women experiencing poverty; unemployed women; women whose work is considered immoral, illegal or unacceptable; older and aging women; widows; and women who are heads of households.

Systems and structures that oppress women based on their gender and other intersecting and marginalized identities can dramatically heighten vulnerability to GBV, the presiding bishop noted.

In response, the toolkit includes facts about violence experienced by some of the most vulnerable women globally. It provides sobering facts about GBV to raise awareness of the extent to which it occurs globally. It also highlights responses and preventative measures led primarily by faith communities. The toolkit contains resources for faith-based action that are supported by evidence of impact and/or are recognized as best practice.

Episcopal Relief & Development has divided the toolkit into 16 Actions, parallel to the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, but encourages users to regard the toolkit as a living document that can be referred to and utilized for all 365 days of the year.

[1] Written statement submitted by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry at the 63 rd session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (2019)

ACTION 1: PRAY TOGETHER BEYOND BORDERS

ACTION 2: MAKE A COMMITMENT

ACTION 3: DIALOGUE ON GIRLS’ EDUCATION

Action 4: foster diverse and inclusive leadership, action 5: focus the lens on gbv with the anglican communion, action 6: engage men and boys, action 7: engage with the episcopal public policy network, action 8: dialogue on hiv/aids and discrimination, action 9: dialogue on gender identity and sexual orientation, action 10: dialogue on covid-19 and gender, action 11: dialogue on covid-19 and gbv, action 12: dialogue on financial inclusion, action 13: dialogue on housing insecurity and gender, action 14: observe thursdays in black with the world council of churches, action 15: embody justice, mercy and compassion, action 16: observe human rights day on december 10.

International Human Rights Day is observed in a single day, and the 16 days campaign spans two Sundays.

Reflect on your views of gender-based violence (GBV) at the beginning of 16 Days of Activism compared to what you know now about its prevalence and about local and global responses. Will you continue the conversation around GBV after 16 Days of Activism is over?

We challenge you to sustain your prayer, commitment, reflection and action throughout the year. Continue to follow Episcopal Relief & Development’s partners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Honduras, Brazil, Liberia and elsewhere as we strive to fulfil our common vision of community where all people — regardless of age, sex, gender or gender identity — live together in abundant dignity, trust, hope and love.

Download this Toolkit

16 Days of Activism Toolkit PDF

PRAYER RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP AND INDIVIDUAL PRAYER

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Where Protesters on U.S. Campuses Have Been Arrested or Detained

By The New York Times

Police officers and university administrators have clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters on dozens of college campuses in recent weeks, arresting students, removing encampments and threatening academic consequences. More than 2,800 people have been arrested or detained on campuses across the country.

Campus protests where arrests and detainments have taken place since April 18

The fresh wave of student activism against the war in Gaza was sparked by the arrests of at least 108 protesters at Columbia University on April 18, after administrators appeared before Congress and promised a crackdown. Since then, tensions between protesters, universities and the police have risen, prompting law enforcement to take action in some of America’s largest cities.

An earlier version of this article misstated the number of arrests at Princeton University. There have been 15 arrests, not 14.

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Our Coverage of the U.S. Campus Protests

News and Analysis

Pomona College: At least one person was arrested after scuffles broke out among pro-Palestinian protesters , private security officers and police officers outside Pomona College’s commencement in Los Angeles.

U.W. Milwaukee: Protesters at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will take down a pro-Palestinian encampment that had stood for two weeks under an agreement reached with the school , university officials said.

Duke: Dozens of students walked out  of Duke University’s commencement ceremony as Jerry Seinfeld, who has been vocal about his support for Israel, received an honorary degree.

Turning to Al Jazeera :  Students active in campus protests value the Arab news network’s on-the-ground coverage  and its perspective on the Israel-Hamas war. They draw distinctions between it and major American outlets.

Black Colleges :  The White House appears anxious about President Biden’s speech at Morehouse College, a historically Black institution. But for complex reasons, such campuses have had far less visible Gaza tensions .

A Different Approach :  University leaders in Britain have so far adopted a more permissive attitude to pro-Palestinian encampments than their U.S. counterparts. Here’s why .

UNITE/Orange the World Toolkit

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The Orange the World Campaign logo may be used by individuals, NGOs and other entities for any promotional activities aimed at increasing awareness of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, provided they adhere to Orange The World Logo Terms and Conditions, briefly outlined here . Once you complete the agreement, you will be given access to high-resolution; PNG  and  EPS  files that you may use in your materials.

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UNITE to End Violence against Women social media toolkit 

In keeping with this year’s UNITE theme, “ UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls ” , the campaign calls on citizens and governments to show how much they care about ending violence towards women and girls.

Every effort invested in preventing violence against women is a step towards a safer, more equal and prosperous world.

Read the concept note, available in  Arabic ,  English ,  French , and  Spanish . 

Join the global movement with the #NoExcuse campaign calling for urgent investments to prevent violence against women and girls.

Check out the campaign social media toolkit and join the initiative!

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In focus: 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence

UNITE to End Violence against Women Campaign

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16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence

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Recent projections, delegate tracker, maryland, west virginia and nebraska primaries 2024: live results and analysis, status of chinese citizen journalist who reported on covid unknown on day of expected prison release.

The whereabouts of a Chinese citizen journalist who served four years in prison for reporting on the early days of the pandemic in Wuhan and was expected to be released Monday are unknown, raising concern from activists

BANGKOK -- The whereabouts of a Chinese citizen journalist who served four years in prison for reporting on the early days of the pandemic in Wuhan and was expected to be released Monday are unknown, raising concern from activists.

Zhang Zhan, who had been sentenced to four years in prison on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a vaguely defined charge often used in political cases, has finished serving her sentence at Shanghai's Women Prison.

Ren Quanniu, a former lawyer who previously represented Zhang, said he could not reach her father and expressed concern that Zhang would be released only to be put under another form of control by police.

Monday was the last day of her four-year sentence, confirmed Ren and Jane Wang, another overseas activist who launched the Free Zhang Zhan campaign in the U.K.

Zhang was among a handful of citizen journalists who traveled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan after the government put it under total lockdown in February 2020, in the early days of the pandemic. She walked around the city to document public life as fears grew about the then-mysterious coronavirus .

Other citizen journalists have also spent time in jail for documenting the early days of the pandemic, including Fang Bin, who published videos of overcrowded hospitals and bodies during the outbreak. Fang was sentenced to three years in prison and released last April.

Chen Qiushi, another citizen journalist, disappeared in February 2020 while filming in Wuhan. Chen in September 2021 resurfaced on a friend’s live video feed on YouTube , saying he had suffered from depression but did not provide details about his disappearance.

During her prison stay, Zhang staged a hunger strike and was hospitalized at one point in 2021.

Zhang's family has faced police pressure during her stay in prison, and her parents have declined interview requests from media. Her family at times could only speak to their daughter by phone at the prison.

Shen Yanqiu, who had planned to go with Zhang’s family to receive her at the prison, declined to speak to The Associated Press, saying she had been “invited to drink tea,” a euphemism for a police interrogation.

Calls to Zhang’s brother went unanswered. Calls to the Shanghai Prison Administration office also went unanswered.

China' s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin declined to comment on the case when asked Monday, saying “I’m not aware of the situation.”

The coronavirus remains a sensitive topic in China . In the first week of May, a Chinese scientist who was the first to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus staged a protest after authorities barred him from his lab, after years of demotions and setbacks.

An Associated Press investigation also found that the government froze domestic and international efforts to trace the virus from the first weeks of the outbreak.

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