Orange The World 2021: What Is 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign?

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign to talk about violence against women and girls. Every year, the campaign starts on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and ends on December 10, Human Rights Day.

It was started by the activists at the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and is coordinated by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership every year. The idea is to aware people around the world for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

Orange the world: End Violence Against Women Now!

Every year, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign either come up with a new theme or continues the old one. The campaigns are focused on gender inequality issues and raising voice throughout the globe against violence against women and girls.

The Center for Women’s Global Leadership shares a “Take Action KIt” every year to help participants know how they can get involved with the campaign and cause.

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence 2021 campaign theme is “Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now!”.

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Themes

1991-1992 — Violence Against Women Violates Human Rights
1993 — Democracy in the Family, Democracy of Families, Democracy for Every Body
1994 — Awareness, Accountability, Action: Violence Against Women Violates Human Rights
1995 — Vienna, Cairo, Copenhagen, and Beijing: Bringing Women’s Human Rights Home
1996 — Bringing Women’s Human Rights Home: Realizing Our Visions
1997 — Demand Human Rights in the Home and the World
1998 — Building a Culture of Respect for Human Rights
1999 — Fulfilling the Promise of Freedom from Violence
2000 — Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Campaign
2001 — Racism and Sexism: No More Violence
2002 — Creating a Culture that Says No to Violence Against Women
2003 — Violence Against Women Violates Human Rights: Maintaining the Momentum Ten Years After Vienna (1993–2003)
2004-2005 — For the Health of Women, for the Health of the World: No More Violence
2006 — Celebrate 16 Years of 16 Days: Advance Human Rights <–> End Violence Against Women
2007 — Demanding Implementation, Challenging Obstacles: End Violence Against Women
2008 — Human Rights for Women <–> Human Rights for All: UDHR60
2009 — Commit, Act, Demand: We CAN End Violence Against Women
2010 — Structures of Violence: Defining the Intersections of Militarism and Violence Against Women.
2011-2014 — From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let’s Challenge Militarism and End Violence Against Women!
2015-2016 — From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Make Education Safe for All!
2017 — Leave No One Behind: End Violence against Women and Girls
2018 — End Gender-Based Violence in the World of Work.
2019 — Ending Gender-Based Violence in the World of Work + Action to support ratification of #ILO190
2020 — Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!
2021 — Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now!

Why is 16 Days of Activism Against Important?

What is the significance of 16 days of activism? Why Does 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign Matter?

As per the UN Women reports, 1 in 3 women have been abused in their life. Slight increase was noticed in these stats during the pandemic and recent humanitarian crises. In the most recent survey based on data from over 13 countries, UN Women found that 2 in 3 women reported that they or a woman they know have experienced some kind of violence. So, raising the voice is important to protect women and girls. Sharing experiences and survivor stories helps in awaring more people.

How 16 Days Of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Started?

On November 25, 1990, sisters Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa Mirabal, three political activists who actively opposed the cruelty and systematic violence of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic, were killed by Trujillo’s secret police and dumped at the bottom of a cliff.

They are regarded as the symbol of feminist resistance and November 25 was declared as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in Latin America in 1980.

Eliminating Gender-Based Violence

What is the purpose of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence? The objective of 16 Days of Activism is to end the impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding gender-based violence. The 16 days of activist 2021 activities will focus on eliminating the gender based violence related to

Intimate partner violence (battering, psychological abuse, marital rape, femicide);
Sexual violence and harassment (rape, forced sexual acts, unwanted sexual advances, child sexual abuse, forced marriage, street harassment, stalking, cyber- harassment);
Human trafficking (slavery, sexual exploitation);
Female genital mutilation; and
Child marriage.

Gender-Based Violence Campaign Ideas: How To Be A Part Of 16 Days of Activism?

Raise voice against cultural practices which promote gender inequality, and abuse of women and children at personal and societal level.
Listen and believe the gender-based violence victims.
Report the abuse.
Aware more people about gender-based violence and breaking the silence.
Conduct awareness programmes for children and women to create awareness.
Form policies which help in eliminating GBV.

There are a lot of other ways to get involved in 16 Days of Activism against GBV. But if you can follow these too, your contribution will be commendable.

Conclusion

So, you can also be a part of this noble 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence 2021 campaign and make your contribution in creating a better world. Join 16 Days of Activism 2021 global theme, i.e.Orange The World 2021 Campaign to raise awareness about gender-based violence.