Download the 2012 Campaign Calendar

The global movement against gender violence is gathering momentum every year as more and more people worldwide join their voices to say “NO” to violence against women by participating in a wide range of activities within the framework of “16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence” Campaign, which starts on November 25th and ends December 10th.

The roots of 16 Days Campaign date back to the 20th century and are based on two historical events. The first took place in Dominican Republic on November 25th, 1960, when the state cruelly executed three Mirabal sisters who were political activists and became symbols of resistance to Trujillo’s regime. The second happened in Canada on December 6th, 1989, when 14 female students were shot by Mark Lepine at the University of Montreal’s Faculty of engineering, the assassin who believed that he had not been accepted in the Faculty due to the number of female students. These brutal acts triggered the creation of two end-violence global campaigns: 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence and the White Ribbon Campaign – a unique initiative by Canadian men.  Later, in 1999, the UN officially recognized November 25th as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women which marks the start of 16 Days Campaign lasting till December 10th, International Human Rights Day.

Today, the Campaign covers the following dates:

• November 25 – International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women;
• December 1 –   World AIDS Day;
• December 2 – International Day for Abolition of Slavery;
• December 6 – Anniversary of Montreal Massacre, and
• December 10 – International Human Rights Day.

Since 1991 well over 3700 organizations in more than 164 countries have participated in the annual global campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence” that calls for the elimination of all forms of violence against women. In 2000 the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence was introduced in the Caucasus.

Following the successful activities undertaken within the period of 2000-2011, UNFPA initiated 2012 year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence campaign to raise once again the issue of gender-based violence and involve even greater number of participants including state structures, mass media, civil society, international community, and general public.

Every year, globally a Campaign theme is composed in consultation with women's human rights advocates worldwide. The 2012 theme slogan for the campaign is: “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let's Challenge Militarism and End Violence against Women!” This gives a general idea on the campaign theme but other activities most relevant to the local context that address other intersections of violence against women can be organized. 

We invite all to participate in the campaign!