TOOL: Take Action on Gender-Based Violence

Get Involved

As a global campaign, 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence symbolizes a movement toward a safe and just world for all. Following a core principle of the Sustainable Development Goals and Goal 5: Gender Equality, the campaign’s goal of ending all forms of violence against women and girls brings awareness to the issue while encouraging global action.

Listed below are some ways you can get involved during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign. 

1. Never Stop Learning. Even if you’ve heard of the issue, watched a documentary, or read an article, more information on ending violence against women can only help in moving forward. Read up on some facts and figures from UN Women and then share what you’ve learned with your peers. Having informed and open conversation around the topic is a great way to initiate change.
   • *You can also check out the Government of Canada’s links on violence against women and girls (abuse, bullying and cyberviolence, warning signs, and more).
2. Host Your Own 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign within your school or community. Engage others in the issue and use some of Rutger’s University 2017 campaign messages like “Zero tolerance for gender-based violence in education” or “Make it a Reality – End gender-based violence in education” to get started.
   • Orange the World – Use the colour orange to draw attention to your campaign and join others around the world as they do the same!
   • Use the UN Women Social Media Package of #orangetheworld and #16days – available in English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
3. Justice Now is an interactive tool developed by UN Women that explores the various paths to justice, gives voice to survivors’ stories and looks at the critical role investigators play in ending impunity for sexual and gender-based violence crimes. Discover it alone or with your class – find more here.
   
4. Invite a Guest Speaker from a local service, development or Aboriginal organization to talk about the challenges facing female victims of violence and what can be done to help them.
5. Create a Piece of Art. Whether it’s a piece that reflects what a physically, mentally, or verbally healthy relationship looks like to the artist, or it’s a video exploring these issues within our society as a whole, art has the ability to share stories and experiences in endless ways.
6. Look at Canada’s role by doing some research on what ending GBV looks like within our own policies and movements we support. Find out more about It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence here.
7. Follow the Activist Toolkit, available from Rutger’s University, to create your own events and action plans. Gather ideas from their social media campaigns page and share your own photos of how you’re helping end GBV on their Flickr page. (Toolkit)

Looking Forward

Since this is a 16-day campaign, make sure to follow the Take Action blog as we share information, ideas, tools, resources that can be used in your schools and communities, and examples of how people are making a difference around the world.

Join the conversation through the hashtags #orangetheworld and #16days