International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
25 November
UNiTE! Activism to End Violence against Women & Girls!
According to the UN, five years ago, the #MeToo movement, founded by activist Tarana Burke in 2006, exploded and sparked global mobilization creating a moment of urgency in preventing and responding to violence against women and girls.
Since then, unprecedented awareness and momentum have been generated as a result of the tireless work of grassroots activists, women’s human rights defenders, and survivor advocates all over the world to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls.
At the same time, there has been a rise in anti-rights movements, including anti-feminist groups, resulting in shrinking space for civil society, a backlash against women’s rights organizations and a rise in attacks against women human rights defenders and activists.
Ending violence against women and girls requires investing in and supporting strong, autonomous women’s rights organisations and feminist movements.
That is why this 2022 theme is UNITE! Activism to End Violence against Women & Girls.
16 days of activism
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women will mark the launch of the UNiTE campaign (Nov 25- Dec 10) — an initiative of 16 days of activism concluding on the day that commemorates International Human Rights Day (10 December).
Since 2008, the UN Secretary-General and UN Women have led a global campaign to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls, calling for global action to raise awareness, promote advocacy, and create opportunities for discussion on challenges and solutions.
This year’s campaign UNITE! Activism to End Violence against Women & Girls will aim to mobilize all society to become activists for the prevention of violence against women, to stand in solidarity with women’s rights activists and to support feminist movements around the world to resist the rollback on women’s rights and calling for a world free from VAWG.
