#16DaysOfActivism
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day. It was started by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and continues to be coordinated each year by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to expose gender inequality in different sectors and different aspects of our lives, women continue to suffer silently in many spheres of their lives as a result of the global crisis. We started the #16DaysofActivism campaign in 2020 to promote awareness and educate people about online harassment and violence against women. During COVID 19, along with domestic and intimate partner violence, cyber abuse and crimes were also on the rise. But, there were not a lot of awareness and resources available on cyber abuse and online violence against women. We published a few articles, put together some resources and run social media campaigns on this often invisible and insedious form of abuse and violence.
In 2021, we again ran a social media campaign for 16 days and share videos and resources to create awareness on different forms of gender based violence and possible strategies and mechanisms to prevention them.
Our theme for 2022 #16DaysofActivism campaign is Femicide. Femicide is the systematic killing of women and girls because of their gender. The word “femicide” was first coined in the 1970s by Diana Russell, and is defined as “the killing of women because they are women.” This definition includes all forms of gender-based violence against women, including domestic violence, honor killings, acid attacks, and forced marriage. It is the most extreme manifestation of gender-based violence against women and a global pandemic. We will publish articles and social media posts focused on Femicide awareness and prevention.
16 Days of Activism 2021: Let’s Educate, Engage and Empower Each Other to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls
Posts focused on violence against women, published during #16DaysOfActivism 2021
16 Days of Activism 2020: Campaign Against Online violence and Harassment of Women
Our theme for the #16DaysofActivism for 2020 was “ Online Harassment and Online Violence Against Women” under the global theme of “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!”
On November 25, we will kick off the UN System’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence activities on “Online Harassment and Online Violence Against Women” by publishing a powerful article on cybercrime and women.
Online harassment and online violence is most of the time invisible but can have a serious psychological and psycho-social consequence on women and girls. Online harassment can include bullying, trolling, cyberstalking, defamation, hate speech, public shaming, amongst other offences. While laws against online harassment are yet to catch -up, crime rates are on the rise everywhere. Addressing online violence will require collective efforts from individuals, corporations, and governments.
Here is what we can do to prevent online violence –
Listen to and believe the survivors
Speak out against online harassment
Support the survivors in taking Action
Hold each other accountable
Stand against misogyny, sexism, and hate speech
Start a conversation and raise awareness
From 25 November to 10 December, we will engage actively on social media on cybercrime, online harassment, and online violence against women during COVID 19 and beyond.
We invite and encourage you to engage and join the conversation with us on social media. These are the following ways you can engage in our #16DaysofActivism campaign –
Share your story of facing online harassment or violence
Tag and invite your friends to join the campaign
Share or Repost the Rights of Equality content on your social media
If you want to publish your story online without disclosing your identity, email your story to us at equalityrightsof@gmail.com,
Start petition directed to your government official demanding better policies for the online safety and protection of women and girls
Use the following hashtags-
#SpeakUpAgaintsOnlineHarrassment
#EndOnlineViolenceAgainstWomen
#RightsofEqualit
- Violence Against Women on the Internet: It’s A 6-week lecture and discussion session sponsored in 2002 by the Beekman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard Law School. Though the discussions are over, many of the resources are still available online. The session was organized into five modules: Campus Sexual Assault Policies; Pornography; Sex Trafficking; The Internet as a Site of Resistance; and Safety.
Posts on online violence and cybercrime against women published as parts of #16DaysOfActivism 2020
