November 25th – December 10th 2023
The global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign, launched 30 years ago by the Women’s Global Leadership Institute who still co-ordinate the campaign. It is the most widely-recognised and longest running campaign for women’s rights in the world.
The dates for the campaign were chosen to link violence against women and human rights and emphasise that gender-based violence against women is a violation of human rights. Since 1991, the campaign has been active between 25 November, International Day Against Violence Against Women and 10 December, International Human Rights Day.
In Cornwall, we have two strategies aimed at tackling gender-based violence, the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Domestic Abuse Strategy and the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. These cross-partnership strategies bring together the organisations with responsibility for community safety and safeguarding adults and children – Safer Cornwall, Our Safeguarding Children’s Partnership, Cornwall’s Safeguarding Adults Board, and the Health and Wellbeing Board – to achieve real, sustainable progress.
Cornwall Council and the Safer Cornwall Partnership support a gendered approach to domestic abuse and sexual violence (DASV). We support the stance it is a gendered crime.
“Whilst both men and women may experience incidents of inter-personal violence and abuse, women are considerably more likely to experience repeated and severe forms of abuse, including sexual violence. They are also more likely to have experienced sustained physical, psychological or emotional abuse, or violence which results in injury or death.” Women’s Aid
16 Days is an organising strategy for individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence against women and to:
- Raise awareness about gender-based violence against women as a human rights issue at local, national, regional and international levels
- Strengthen local work around gender-based violence against women
- Establish a clear link between local and international work to end gender-based violence against women
- Provide a forum in which organisers can develop and share new and effective strategies
- Demonstrate the solidarity of women around the world organising against gender-based violence against women
- Create tools to pressure governments to implement commitments to eliminate gender-based violence against women.
Over 6000 organisations in approx. 187 countries have participated in the global 16 Days campaign since 1991, with a reach of 300 million.
This year Safer Cornwall continue to raise awareness of gender-based violence, the support that is available across Cornwall and the IoS and what people can do when they see someone engaging in inappropriate and harmful behaviour. We want to reinforce the message that it is everyone’s business #dontbeabystander. In partnership with Safer Futures, the Violence Against Women and Girls Cross Party Working Group and West Cornwall Women’s Aid we have developed the following programmes of events across the 16 days.
16 Days 2023 – Activity
