16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign

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 (CWGL) at Rutgers University 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 human rights violation.

From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World:
Let’s Challenge Militarism and End Violence Against Women!

Building upon the information gathered from participants during the 2010 campaign, this year’s 16 Days Campaign will delve further into five issues that were identified as priorities for those working on the intersections of violence against women and militarism:

1) Bringing together women, peace, and human rights movements to challenge militarism.

2) Proliferation of small arms and their role in domestic violence

3) Sexual violence in and after conflict

4) Political violence against women, including Pre/During/Post-election violence

5) Sexual and gender-based violence committed by state agents, particularly the police or military

Over the next several years, CWGL will work to support the development of a coordinated, global, feminist critique of militarism and the violence it perpetuates. The 2011 campaign is an opportunity for reflection and conversations about what the global women’s rights movement can do to challenge the structures that allow violence against women to continue at all levels, from local to global. It is also a crucial time to reach out to and involve more men, boys, faith-based and traditional leaders, and other key partners in the work towards building a more just and peaceful world. While militarism is often discussed in terms of conflict situations, this Campaign theme seeks to broaden our understanding of the many ways militarism influences our daily lives. A crucial aspect of the 16 Days Campaign involves listening to the stories of women around the world and standing in solidarity with one another: It also emphasizes the importance of working locally to transform violent or militaristic mindsets. By focusing on how “peace in the home” extends outward and relates to “peace in the world,” we see how values of nonviolence can influence the attitudes of friends, families, communities, governments and other actors.

From the Theme Announcement in the Take Action Kit.