16 Days of Action is an annual, international campaign which raises awareness of, and calls for an end to gender-based violence. The campaign runs from Tuesday 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and finishes on Wednesday 10 December, Human Rights Day.
It is estimated that 25% of women have experienced some form of gender-based abuse before the age of 16. In England and Wales 3,000 offences are recorded each day, with 1 in 12 women a victim of violence every year, with the actual number expected to be much higher.
Organisations in Cornwall are running a calendar of free events over the 16 days, which you can find below and sign up to via the Eventbrite links. Please show your support by joining in and learning more.
Artwork by a number of domestic abuse survivors will be displayed in venues across the county throughout the 16 day period. For a preview of the full pieces, see below.
As well as a number of scheduled events, we will be ‘popping-up’ in the community alongside the mobile library service to raise awareness and talk about the amazing support services available to help. If you see us out and about, we would love for you to stop and say hello.
Across the 16 Days, many libraries across Cornwall will have stands dedicated to domestic abuse and violence against woman and girls. Please visit your local library and check out their 16 Days reading lists.
For more information about any of the 16 days campaign events or training activities, please email Cornwall Council’s domestic abuse and sexual violence team via [email protected]
A huge thank you to all partners for their dedication to delivering Cornwall’s 16 days of action against gender-based violence campaign. Click the links below to learn more about the services they provide.
We are still in the process of updating the calendar below and there are more events to come! Please check back soon for further info. Click on the arrows below for further event details.
There is also a whole range of events being hosted by 16 Days Penzance. Check out their website here.
Proceeds from Trelya community café will go to 16 Days Penzance.
Location: Trelya
The Lescudjack Centre
Penmere Close
Penzance TR18 3PE
Organised by West Cornwall Women’s Aid. Come together for a powerful evening of solidarity, remembrance, and community action to end violence against women and girls. Walk along promenade, up Chapel Street to St Mary’s Church. Vigil held at church along with music and dance performances. No need to book – just turn up on the day.
17:30 – 20:30. Wherrytown Car Park, , Western Promenade Road, Penzance, TR18 4NP
Performance of The Vagina Monologues, with funds raised for West Cornwall Women’s Aid and The Women’s Centre Cornwall
Anyone can attend this Bystander for the Community Training (Online 10am – 12pm) delivered by Safer Futures
You’re invited to a community coffee morning on Thursday 28th November, from 10am to 2pm at All Saints Community Centre, Camborne.
This informal drop-in event offers a chance to enjoy refreshments, meet others in the community, and learn more about the 16 Days of Activism campaign, which raises awareness of gender-based violence against women and girls.
Staff from West Cornwall Women’s Aid will be on hand to share information about the support available locally and answer any questions.
A full day event at CLEAR to include a network, speakers, activities and information sharing. More details to follow.
Performance of The Vagina Monologues, with funds raised for West Cornwall Women’s Aid and The Women’s Centre Cornwall
In this hands-on workshop with writer/artist Keith Sparrow, you’ll get to flip the script on the usual “macho hero” and invent your own characters that break the rules.
Together we’ll explore and challenge old stereotypes about boys and men, and celebrate how being thoughtful, caring, sensitive, or supportive are powerful traits too.
Performance of The Vagina Monologues, with funds raised for West Cornwall Women’s Aid and The Women’s Centre Cornwall
Performance of The Vagina Monologues, with funds raised for West Cornwall Women’s Aid and The Women’s Centre Cornwall
The Women’s Centre Cornwall is inviting people across Cornwall to honour women whose lives have been taken by male violence and demand safety and freedom for women and girls at this year’s Reclaim The Night event on Friday 5th December from 6pm at the Killacourt, Newquay.
This year marks the 21st consecutive year the Women’s Centre has hosted Reclaim The Night in Cornwall.
For 21 years, we have invited the community to reclaim women’s rights to safety, dignity and freedom from violence and abuse. This year, as we see misogyny expanding further into digital spaces, our message is louder than ever. Our lives are increasingly lived online and technology is continually shaping how we connect. The online world has become another realm in which women and girls face male violence, and it is no less ‘real’ or harmful. Online abuse demands the same urgent response as other forms of abuse.
We also gather to honour the women and children whose lives have been taken and to carry their memory forward. Reclaim The Night is a powerful reminder of the epidemic of violence against women and girls, and that change begins when we stand together in solidarity and build upon the work we do year-round to support women and girls at The Women’s Centre Cornwall.
The event will begin with a candlelit vigil to honour lives lost, represented by a photo frame and candle. A live music performance by Gabrielle Green and a dance performance by the Young Empowered Women’s Group will follow, alongside spoken word poetry from women who have accessed support at the Women’s Centre.
The women’s march will begin at approximately 7.30pm accompanied by local samba musicians.
The Reclaim the Night event is wheelchair accessible and all are encouraged to join the vigil and performances, including men. The march is for women only.
Attendees are invited to bring flowers and are encouraged to wear or bring something red in keeping with this year’s theme. Torches, fairy lights or anything that will make them visible at night are also welcome.
You are welcome to contact [email protected] with any questions about accessibility.
Safe Spaces: MIX Newquay and Sprout will be open as safe warm spaces on the night should anyone need emotional support.
WET WEATHER PLAN: In the event of adverse weather conditions, the vigil will take place at St Michael the Archangel Church, St Michael’s Rd, Newquay TR7 1RA.
Join us in solidarity as we gather in community, shine our lights, take up space and have our voices heard to end violence against women and girls!
Join members of the Band of Brothers, the Dad’s Walking Group, and West Cornwall Women’s Aid for an informal walk and talk along the prom—from the Fisherman’s Statue in Newlyn to Jubilee Pool. This gathering is a chance to explore what male allyship really means, how men can challenge misogyny through positive masculinity, and the role they can play in ending violence against women and girls. It’s not about having all the answers—it’s about showing up, listening, and walking together toward change.
14:00 – 15:00. 2 Lower Art Gallery Terrace, Newlyn, Penzance TR18 5PP, UK
Anyone can attend this Bystander for the Workplace Training (Online) delivered by Safer Futures
An open afternoon with West Cornwall Women’s Aid celebrating a powerful photography project developed in collaboration with Falmouth University.
13:00 – 15:30, Maura Place, 11 Market Pl, Penzance TR18 2JB, UK
An Online Webinar with Craig Lang from Devon & Cornwall Police.
Training for professionals hosted by Safer Futures
Training for professionals. Trigger warning: this training contains content around domestic abuse related deaths.
The Safer Futures Training team are joined by Micala, founder of Holly’s Hope and Mum to Holly Newton.
Trigger warning: this training contains content around domestic abuse related deaths.
Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence Level 1 Training (Online) delivered by Safer Futures
Our colleagues across the South West are also hosting events. To find out what is going on across the Peninsula during 16 Days, please follow the links below:
Plymouth – Coming soon
Devon – 16 Days of Action in Devon – Safer Devon
Torbay – 16 Days of Action 2024: Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence – Are you OK?
Always call 999 if you or someone else is at immediate risk of harm.
Further information about Domestic Abuse, including gender-based violence, can be found on the Safer Cornwall website here: https://safercornwall.co.uk/domestic-abuse-sexual-violence/
You can also learn more about our Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy and our Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (DASV) strategy.
For information about Domestic Abuse for non-english speakers, please click here to watch The Women’s Centre Cornwall videos in Arabic, Bulgarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian and Ukrainian.
