16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign: Day One

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in 1991. Participants chose the dates November 25- International Day Against Violence Against Women- and December 10- International Human Rights Day- in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights. This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. Learn more at the Center for Women’s Global Leadership.

For the next 16 days, Viva la Feminista will be joining thousands of voices in marking 16 days of activism against gender violence. In conjunction of this campaign, I am also asking Viva la Feminista readers to join me in an end of the year fund raiser for the Chicago Abortion Fund. You'll notice a ChipIn widget on the side bar. You can also go to my ChipIn page for CAF.

After five years with the Chicago Abortion Fund, I stepped off the board when I started my PhD program. This is solely due to a lack of time. I am still 100% committed to CAF and helping to raise money for the women of Chicago who need our support.

While I did not work hands on with the women and teens who called the CAF hotline, I did hear some of their stories. And yes, we received calls from women who were in violent relationships, survivors of rape and other violent situations. Without our support, some of the women would had found themselves in even worse situations. The women called because they did not want to bear the child of their rapist or bring another child into an abusive home. They did not reach that decision lightly.

This week CAF will get calls from more women than they have funds for.

This is where we come in.

Please give whatever you can. $5, $25, $100. Every dollar helps.

Thank you.