It is estimated that up to 30 million girls under the age of 15 remain at risk from female genital mutilation, and more than 130 million girls and women have undergone the procedure worldwide. Worldwide, more than 700 million women alive today were married as children, 250 million of whom were married before the age of 15. Girls who marry before the age of 18 are less likely to complete their education and more likely to experience domestic violence and complications in childbirth.
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign which takes place each year, and runs from November 25, (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women), to 10 December (Human Rights Day), also encompassing other important key dates.
European Union have joined the campaign. The ‘16 Days Campaign’ is used as an organizing strategy by individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of violence against women and girls. It originated from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute coordinated by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership in 1991.
This year, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence occur at a critical juncture for efforts to end violence against women and girls (VAW/G) as the world gears up to mark the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, the Millennium Development Goals reach their deadline, and a new global development agenda takes shape. This moment therefore provides an important opportunity to galvanize additional attention around the issue of violence against women and girls.
