16 days of activism

Each year, from 25 November to 10 December, the 16 Days of Activism campaign calls for action against one of the world’s most persistent violations of human rights – violence against women.

Violence against women continues to occur at an alarming scale in every country in the world. Too often, it is excused away and normalised by a global culture of discrimination against women that allows violence to occur with impunity. Recent movements like Me Too and the Women’s March 4 Justice have propelled this issue onto the global stage and started important conversations about the change we need to see.

This year’s campaign is all about ensuring justice, protecting survivors and ending impunity. It highlights the many barriers women and girls continue to face on their path to justice, particularly for those who face intersecting forms of discrimination and violence.  

The year’s theme is an important call for justice that works for all women and girls – whether at home, at work, in public life, or across digital spaces. Beyond strong laws and much-needed changes to our systems to ensure survivors can safely report violence or access affordable support and services, making this a reality also means changing the attitudes that isolate, shame or blame survivors and make justice that much harder to achieve.  

We’ve created some user-friendly factsheets to learn you learn more about this year’s 16 Days campaign and be part of creating a more just world for survivors.