16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence
This week marks the start of the global action 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. Survivors Speak OUT, the torture survivor-led activist network at Freedom from Torture, have lots to say about it.
16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (also known as the 16 Days Campaign) is an annual global movement bringing international attention to the fact that women and girls are disproportionately affected by violence. 2017's campaign opened, fittingly, with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, and ends on Human Rights Day on 10 December.
Survivors Speak OUT is supporting the 16 Days Campaign by shining a light on this issue through the eyes of torture survivors. Though the term gender-based violence is now synonymous with violence against women, in Survivors Speak OUT we know that men are also increasingly impacted by violence including sexual violence. We want to broaden the conversation around gender-based violence to include men and women, as well as break the stigma that prevents individuals from speaking out.
To find out more about what we have to say, follow Survivors Speak OUT on Twitter - @SSOonline - where we will have lived experience experts and activists from our network sharing their experiences via videos, animation and memes.
Start by watching a series of videos by our members, Tracy and Kolbassia, in a powerfully honest discussion about the impact of gender-based violence for both men and women, and the importance of a survivor-centred approach to recovery and rehabilitation:
