What is 16 Days of Activism?
16 Days of Activism is observed across the globe from 25 November to 10 December.
The main goal of 16 days of activism is to raise awareness of the problem, and encourage a call to action to end GBV.
When is 16 Days of Activism 2022?
The 16 Days of Activism starts today 25 November 2022 and will continue until the 10th of December 2022.
Why Does it Happen over 16 Days?
From what I can gather, it is because there are a number of internationally observed days that happen in this time, so nothing specifically to do with the number 16.
- November 25 – International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
- November 29 – International Women Human Rights Defenders Day
- December 1 – World AIDS Day
- December 3: International Day for the Disabled
- December 5 – International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development
- December 10 – International Human Rights Day and the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
When did it start?
2022 marks the 31st observation of 16 Days of Activism, with the first campaign launched in 1991 by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership.
Each year there is a different theme given to the campaign to highlight different issues across time.
The first theme in 1991 was “Violence Against Women Violates Human Rights” – 31 years later and the same issues still affect lives across the globe
The theme for 2022 is “Ending Femicide”.
Read my story about femicide here
GBV is nothing new
GBV has been getting a lot of media coverage in recent years, however the problem is not a new one, it has always been there, the difference now is that it is being spoken about more, and there is less stigma attached to speaking up.
Women crime statistics South Africa 2022
“Over 13 000 women were victims of assault with intend to cause grievous bodily harm between July and September 2022.
1 277 women were victims of attempted murder, and 989 women were murdered during this reporting period.”
Minister General Bheki Cele
South African women in the news
My part in the fight against GBV
I have shared my story of GBV in the hopes that it will encourage others to start the conversation – to raise awareness about what is and what isn’t acceptable. To understand that everyone has a story, whether it is their own, or a family member or friend – it is not something that happens “out there”
