From a New York shelter to a village in Kenya: A group of men travel to remote Kenyan villages to talk about how to stop violence against women; Youth in East and Southeast Asia attend workshops on how to recongize gender-based violence; Swiss trains carry posters and messages, Togo organizes a national awareness campaign and involves the media in the fight against violence against women - these are just some of the hundreds of activities planned and organized for the “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence”, an international campaign coordinated by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership. Many of the participants showcased their actions on Say NO to reach a global audience eager to be informed about actions taken on the issue.  

From 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day, thousands of people all over the world participated in the “16 Days of Activism”, which is coordinated by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL). The dates were chosen to emphasize that violence against women is a human rights violation.

“I feel fulfilled about what I do. I am happy whenever I see a survivor of violence stand up to face her perpetrator.” Thuku Njuguna, coordinator of the Men’s Traveling Conference (MTC), is one of the Kenyan men who rode many miles on a bus to bring the message of ending gender-based violence to even the remotest villages in Kenya and Malawi. He belongs to MEGEN – Men for Gender Equality Now, an organization that believes in the power of men talking to men directly about the issue: “We have learned that it makes a difference. Men are more willing to listen and really think about their relationship to women.” Through the MTC, MEGEN was able to reach thousands of people on the ground, as well as to motivate local politicians all over both countries to use legislation on the issue.

On the occasion of the 25th November, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), representing 175 million workers in 155 countries, encouraged all its affiliated national trade union centers and women's networks to Say NO to violence against women and girls and take part in the Say NO-UNiTE initiative. From Bulgaria to Brazil, from Australia to Norway trade union members took action to raise public awareness among governments, employers as well as within their own ranks. Furthermore, 450 women trade unionists from 110 countries brought together at the 1st World Women's Conference of the ITUC, held in Brussels from 19 to 21 October 2009, adopted a resolution on Violence against Women which aims to further intensify trade union action to eliminate violence against women and girls.

Those are just two examples of the numerous actions showcased on Say NO, highlighting global efforts of organizations and individuals. According to the CWGL Calendar, 72 countries around the world took action during the 16 days. Among them the South Asian Network of Gender Activists and Trainers (SANGAT), celebrated the South Asian Women's Day 2009 to pledge for peace, justice, human rights and democracy for all women of South-East Asia on November 30.  

Members of Zonta International, a global network of professionals with the goal to advance the status of women worldwide through service and advocacy, delivered goods to Women’s shelters in Michigan and New York and conducted a human trafficking training in Oregon for 140 people, including attorneys, medical professionals and NGOs. The Massachusetts/US based Heller School of Social Policy and Management, screened a movie about the rape epidemic in Congo and asked students and faculty to “Get Cross Against Rape”.  116 people signed their petition by having their picture taken, all pictures were contributed towards the UN Action’s call to end conflict related sexual violence on www.stoprapenow.org. From their headquarters in Washington DC, the Save Darfur Coalition honored a “leader in the fight to empower, protect and uplift women in Sudan” on each of the 16 Days: the list ranged from community activists to social entrepreneurs and writers.  The SDC works tirelessly to combat the epidemic of sexual violence in Darfur and to provide comprehensive services to survivors.  

At the University of El Salvador, the Masculinities Program of Centro Bartolomé de las Casas and the Center for Gender Studies joined forces to conduct a photo project at the campus, taking pictures of 620 students and staff who supported their slogan "Involving men in gender equality. Zoom to prevention!”

Governments and civil society organizations around the world are convinced that there can be no real improvement without educating the youth and teaching girls about their rights. In Cameroon, the regional organization Filles d'Aujourd'hui, Femmes de Demain' (FAFED), conducted a media campaign and discussions to raise awareness for those women and girls who dropped out of school because of reasons such as early marriage, HIV or poverty and emphasized the importance of girls’ education. In a symbolic ceremony, 300 boys and girls gathered on the sands of Coco Coco Beach in Dar es Salaam/Tanzania, at a public event for the 16 Days of Activism organized by UNIFEM Tanzania and the UN Association to show their commitment to ending violence against women. Emelda Mwamanga, a high-level media executive and role model for young women in Tanzania, summed up the purpose of all the activity throughout this period in her speech: “I encourage young women in every corner of our country to value themselves and Say NO to abuse! Every woman has a right to dream big and be that somebody she deserves to be!”

Read about 16 Days actions taken by parliaments around the world here

Take a look at all 16 days actions on Say NO by clicking here and entering “16 Days” as Action Type in the search filter.  

For a full list of actions visit the CWGL’s 16 Days Campaign website

Follow Say NO - UNiTE on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.