Tuesday 24-11-2020 - 15:57

Sixteen Days of Activism is an international campaign surrounding the worldwide issue of gender-based violence. It is held from 25th November to 10th December annually, due to these specific dates – 25th November is the International Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and 10th December is Human Rights Day, worldwide.  The 2020 Global theme  "Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!" 

 

 

The International Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women is a day that originally began in 1991. These sixteen days thereafter have been adopted as a platform for activism, awareness and remembrance of the women that have been victims of violence. The United Nations defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life." This definition touches on issues that women face from physical harm to simply being unable to have access to their own finances or friends.

 

While we are still having the incredibly important linear violence against women at the heart of our activities, this year UWTSD Union we have decided to expand our reach into multiple different areas.  We have secured free Domestic Abuse Awareness Training from Swansea Women’s Aid for students to train in identifying, tackling and preventing domestic abuse.  The training sessions will be running on the 9th and 10th of December, but there are limited spaces, so make sure you secure your place with the link below.  We are hoping to open the doors to discussion and interaction from all genders and all experiences on this subject. 

 

Domestic Abuse Awareness Training

2pm, Wednesday 9th December

2pm, Thursday 10th December

 

But why are we doing it?

We are doing it because two women a week in England and Wales are killed by their partners – over 100 women a year lose their life to domestic violence.

 

We are doing it because only 24% of domestic abuse cases are ever reported to the police.

 

We are doing it because in a survey for Amnesty International, over 1 in 4 respondents thought a woman was partially or totally responsible for being raped if she was wearing sexy or revealing clothing.

 

We are doing it because trans women are 28% more likely to experience domestic violence than those that are cisgender.

 

It has been long regarded as a ‘behind closed doors issue’, but it time for women to feel like they can speak up – gender-based violence is not a one-size-fits-all issue and therefore it is up to us: as friends, as activists, as women, to stand up for those that cannot stand up for themselves.

 

What can you do?

It is very simple – get involved with the conversation.  Attend our VIRTUAL events, start discussions with friends and family, and get in on the activism! There are small ways of getting involved happening online, so no matter where you are, you can help! Check out the online events that we have planned, or alternatively if you want to run your own activity during this time, then please get in touch and we can help!

 

 

You can also spread the word via social media using the hashtags #16Days, #HearMeToo and #OrangeTheWorld and tagging us as @uwtsdunion on your social media platforms.