16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

25 November marks White Ribbon Day, a globally recognised symbol to end men’s violence against women and girls. It is also the start of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, a campaign launched by the United Nations to end violence against women and girls.

An estimated 1.6 million women experience gender-based violence every year though it is thought that is just the tip of the iceberg as many cases go unreported.

The Church of England have done significant work in recent years exploring the culture and response to domestic abuse, launching a short survey last year to help churches improve their support for victims. Their 2022 campaign, titled ‘It’s not just black eyes and bruises’ brought focus to raising awareness within churches and the wider community. They published 16 daily videos to support the campaign, all of which are still available to view here. We encourage you to follow these over the subsequent days, taking a moment after listening to their final poem – ‘If I Told You’ – to prayerfully consider how you might respond if someone told you they were experiencing domestic abuse.