The campaign “16 days of action against Gender-Based violence” is arriving and you can be part of it!
Letter of CWGL for all of those who want to be part of the campaign:
Dear Activist,
In these turbulent times, the global theme of the 16 Days Campaign, “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World”, could not be more pertinent. During the last year we have witnessed gender-based violence targeted at women in the streets, at home, and in the workplace as they go about their daily activities and defend their rights; and so the struggle continues. The Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) is excited to share with you the 2014 Take Action Kit for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign.
It remains critically important to address the intersections of gender-based violence and militarism in the lives of women, men, and whole communities. As a set of ideas and values, militarism is pervasive and has detrimental effects on the safety, security and dignity of all peoples. Militarism is rooted in patriarchal beliefs about gender, and influences how we are socialized to believe in and act upon stereotypes. Militarism enables perpetrators of violence to act with impunity, governments to sanction discriminatory and unequal legislation and policies, and societies to condone and promote harmful cultural practices.
There is no better time than during the 16 Days Campaign to advocate for an end to gender-based violence, in all its forms – from child marriage to femicide, from attacks on Women Human Rights Defenders to violations of women’s right to land and access to productive resources.
Join activists who believe that women’s human rights are indivisible by participating in this year’s 16 Days Campaign! The Campaign is highlighting three priority areas that affect issues of gender-based violence in cross-cutting ways: 1) Violence Perpetrated by State Actors; 2) Proliferation of Small Arms in Cases of Intimate Partner Violence; and 3) Sexual Violence During and After Conflict. These priority areas encompass a multitude of vital issues. By participating in the 16 Days Campaign, you can choose to take action most relevant to your context.
Regardless of the issues you choose to focus on this year, we encourage you to adapt the Take Action Kit materials so that they are relevant for local work. We encourage you to find ways to connect with the international theme and work in solidarity with other activists around the world. We hope you will find the enclosed Campaign materials helpful as you plan your events for this year’s 16 Days Campaign.
In the Take Action Kit, you will find the following materials:
Theme Announcement
Information on Violence Perpetrated by State Actors; Proliferation of Small Arms in Cases of Intimate Partner Violence; Sexual Violence During and After Conflict; on Gender-Based Violence, Women Human Rights Defenders, and State Accountability; on What is Militarism?; and on Gender-Based Violence in the Workplace.
Profiles on the Post 2015 Women’s Coalition, the Beijing+20 process, and information on writing grant proposals, creating a press release, and using social media, along with 16 Days Campaign and Center for Women’s Global Leadership brochures which you can share.
Links to all of the materials in the Kit are available online at: http://16dayscwgl.rutgers.edu/2014-campaign/2014-take-action-kit. Share your planned actions on the International Campaign Calendar: http://16dayscwgl.rutgers.edu/campaign-calendar. Submit photos and see them on the 16 Days Flickr page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/16dayscampaign/), or share your videos, advocacy materials, newspaper articles, and reports with us.
Thank you for being part of the 16 Days Campaign in the effort to end gender-based violence!
In solidarity,
Savi Bisnath, PhD
