16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence: Day 1

Day 1: Support the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence with IWDA

Today marks the beginning of the international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence campaign.

This campaign runs from the 25^th of November, the International Day Against Violence Against Women, until the 10^th of December, International Human Rights Day. These dates are important in symbolically linking violence against women and human rights, and emphasising that violence against women is a fundamental violation of human rights. During the 16 Days other significant dates are highlighted, 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.

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of the campaign, and an opportunity to initiate dialogue on the transformative change of violent structures. This year’s theme is thus Structures of Violence: Defining the Intersections of Militarism and Violence Against Women.

“Militarism is an ideology that creates a culture of fear and supports the use of violence, aggression, or military interventions for settling disputes and enforcing economic and political interests. It is a psychology that often has grave consequences for the true safety and security of women and of society as a whole, and there is a need to address militaristic beliefs in all of our societies. Wars, internal conflicts, and violent repressions of political and social justice movements have a particular and often disproportionate impact on women and the violence they experience. Even places that are not experiencing conflict directly are not exempt from militarism: they send troops, produce and sell weapons, and invest in the militaries of foreign governments rather than supporting development efforts” (CWGL).

IWDA hopes you will be able to join us online over the next 16 Days, as we explore this theme and the various ways our partners in Asia and the Pacific are addressing gender-based violence (GBV) in their communities. Follow us daily on Twitter, Facebook and on our website, to find out how militarism impacts on GBV, and what you can do to raise awareness and advocate for a culture of peace.

As a first step, we invite you to download our 16 Days of Activism thumbnail and distribute it widely. Upload it to your Facebook profile for the duration of the 16 Days and tell your friends and family to do the same!

Download the 16 Days of Activism thumbnail

You can also buy a white ribbon for today’s national White Ribbon Day, and visit the National Swear Day webpage, where Aussie men can take an oath to end violence against women.

Join IWDA for the 16 Days, spread the word, and show your solidarity for women across the globe who are victims of violence, and agents of change!

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 16 Days of Activism is a global campaign encouraging organisations and individuals across the world to take a stand against gender-based violence.

The campaign starts on 25th November: The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and ends on 10th December: World Human Rights Day.

16 Days of Activism was started by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership 18 years ago. The campaign’s beginning and end dates highlight that violence against women is a human rights violation.

Thousands of diverse groups and individuals now take part in 16 Days, together calling for an end to all types of violence against women. Each year people organise events in their communities, including meetings, conferences, demonstrations, exhibitions and performances.

This year at IWDA, we have decided to use the 16 Days to highlight the work our partners in Asia and the Pacific are doing to improve the situation for women and girls in their communities, as well as the work IWDA is undertaking in Australia. Each day between 25th November and 10th December, we will post a short article about 16 Days on our website, Facebook page, and Twitter page.

Tags: 16 Days of Activism

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 25th, 2010 under 16_Days, Recent.
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