Violence against women and girls has a detrimental effect on their health, including their sexual, reproductive and mental health.
Ending violence against women and girls is critical to ending HIV and AIDS.
Violence or the fear of violence can prevent women from negotiating safer sex.
Women living with HIV are often more vulnerable to violence, which can stop women from getting the HIV care and treatment they need. Women and girls are also vulnerable to various forms of sexual and physical abuse in the health services including sexual abuse by health providers, forced sterilization, and forced abortion.
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.
