In Focus: 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence 2024

Group photo outside a building
Courtesy of the Center for Women Studies and Intervention (Nigeria)

Every day, over 140 women and girls were killed by a family member or intimate partner in 2023. This alarming rise in femicide, the most extreme form of violence against women and girls, demands urgent action. Join the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) in observing the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence from November 25 to December 10, 2024. This year’s theme, “Every 10 minutes, a woman is killed. #NoExcuse. UNiTE to End Violence against Women”, calls for collective action against gender-based violence. 

Since its establishment in 1996, the UN Trust Fund has supported 706 initiatives in 140 countries and territories, led by civil society and women’s rights organizations, dedicated to preventing and ending all forms of violence against women and girls, including femicide. 

The 16 Days of Activism is an opportunity to: 

  • Renew commitment from activists, donors and decisionmakers, 
  • Call for accountability and strengthened action from key stakeholders, and  
  • Prioritizing properly resourcing civil society and women’s rights organizations driving positive change.  

As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 2025, we must reflect on the past three decades of progress and gaps that remain while actively shaping a future free from violence. Read more about the UNiTE Campaign framework, “Towards 30 years of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: UNiTE to End Violence Against Women and Girls”. 

There is #NoExcuse for violence against women and girls.  

There is #NoExcuse for femicide.  

There is #NoExcuse for silence and inaction. 

Together, let’s ACT now for women and girls. 

IN STORIES

group of women posing for a photo inside a room
When Silence is Not Golden: Colombian Women Fight for their Rights
One woman holding a child's hand and carrying a sign in her other hand is talking to another woman wearing a mask. Military officers can be seen in the back, behind a fence.
Honduras: Responding to multiple crises to prevent violence against women

Women posing outside, under trees and in the grass, for a group photo - Workshop on “Leadership and prevention of sexual abuse in childhood” in Oaxaca
Mexico: Defending the rights and safety of Indigenous women
Group of women marching for women's rights in Argentina
Believe survivors. Act Now. Claudinna's Story, Argentina
Learn more about the inspiring work of UN Trust Fund grantee partners

ON SOCIAL MEDIA 

Celebrate the 16 Days of Activism with us online! Join us on social media in speaking up against all forms of violence against women and girls and calling for action. 

  • Discover the stories of 16 Humans of the UN Trust Fund on our Instagram channel. 
  • Use our Instagram filters to post your own social media message referencing the campaign: #NoExcuse and #This is what a feminist looks like. 
  • Amplify our messages, educate yourself and raise awareness in your community: check our Trello Board.
  • Share your own experience and expertise to address violence against women and girls through stories and videos tagging @UNTrustFundEVAW.  
  • Donate to the UN Trust Fund to make lasting change for women and girls: click here.  
  • Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @UNTrustFundEVAW, and join the conversations using #NoExcuse.  

Sima Bahous
home should be a safe place for women and girls
60% of all female homicides are committed by family members or intimate partners

Background:

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign that takes place each year. It begins on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on 10 December, Human Rights Day, indicating that violence against women is the most pervasive breach of human rights worldwide.  

In support of this civil society initiative, under the leadership of the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women campaign (UNiTE Campaign), calls for global action to increase awareness, galvanize advocacy efforts and share knowledge and innovations.