16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence

16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Girls and Women

November 25 to December 10, 2011

The 16 days of Activism Against Gender Violence was created out of the Global Campaign for Women’s Human Rights in June 1991. The campaign highlights the connections between women, violence, and human rights from November 25^th to December 10^th. This time period includes other significant dates such as November 25^th, the International Day Against Violence Against Women; December 1^st, World AIDS Day; December 6^th, the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre – The National Day of Remembrance & Action Against Violence Against Women; December 10^th, Human Rights Day.

The 16 Days of Activism is observed and honoured internationally by a variety of organized events, demonstrations, talks, performances, and public education forums. More than 800 organizations in over 90 countries participate in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.

The goals of the 16 Days of Activism are to not only create a movement that is solid and strong to raise awareness around violence against women, but to also call for better protection, responses, and ultimately the elimination of violence against women.

Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) works each and every day to end violence against girls and women. For the 16 Days, BWSS will be sending out and sharing how our ending violence workers take action on the elimination of violence against girls and women.

So follow us on Facebook,  Twitter and our Ending Violence Blog. Please share what you or your community is doing to honour and participate in the 16 Days of Activism against Violence against Women.

Here are some links to what some local folks are doing for the 16 Days:

Women Against Violence Against Women – http://www.wavaw.ca/

Vancouver Rape Relief & Women’s Shelter – http://www.rapereliefshelter.bc.ca/

Simon Fraser University – http://www.sfu.ca/pamr/media-releases/2011/sfu-researchers-celebrate-anti-violence-campaign.html

Vancouver Status of Women – Presents: Performing Real Life: Personal stories of Low income Single Mothers in Vancouver A Psychodrama Workshop with Gabriela Reynoso, Saturday, Dec. 3^rd, Kiwassa Neighbourhood House – http://www.vsw.ca/

City of Vancouver – http://cfapp.vancouver.ca/communitypages_wa/index.cfm

Some International Activities:

16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women March on Zuccotti Park, Take Back the Night http://t.co/ZHAMcE0f , http://occupypatriarchy.org/2011/11/11/an-addended-and-updated-announcement-about-a-day-of-womens-action-november-25/

World YWCA – http://www.worldywca.org/Events/Calendar/16-Days-of-Activism-to-Stop-Violence-against-Women2

United Nations Women Watch – http://www.un.org/womenwatch/calendar/

For more information about the origins of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, you can go to http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/news/vawd.html.