16 Days of Activism
From Awareness to Action—Join the Global Stand Against Violence and Support Women’s Bravery Worldwide
Since 1991, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence takes place every year between 25th November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) and 10th December (Human Rights Day) to raise awareness of, and prevent violence against women and girls.
Violence against women and girls takes many forms, from harassment to intimate partner violence, to sexual violence being used as a weapon of war.
Women for Women International was established in 1993 to help survivors of sexual violence during the 1992 - 1995 conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the belief that stronger women build stronger nations. We continue to work with the most socially excluded women in countries affected by conflict across the world.
“It’s also important for the women to know that they have the right to need help”
We invited WfWI Nigeria’s Country Director, Bukola Onyishi and Joice, a program participant of the Change Agent Program, to share how we work to empower our participants with the knowledge and tools to succeed in eliminating Violence Against Women (VAW). Hear from these women on what hinders the fight against VAW and the importance of speaking out:
Through our From Asking to Action consultation we spoke to 6,500 women in 14 conflict affected countries. They shared:
- Only 5% of Afghan women we spoke to feel safe participating in community activities
- 96% of the women reported facing some kind of violence. 71% have experienced intimate partner violence
- 75% of women call for increased funding and resources, particularly for gender-sensitive aid