Womankind Worldwide 16 days of activism campaign focused on femicide

Every year, organisations, activists and individuals mark the 16 days of Activism campaign against Gender-Based violence from 25 November which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women to 10 December, Human Rights Day. 

Through various themes, the campaign has each year rallied the urgency to end violence against women and girls by calling on governments, citizens, policing authorities and the media to take a stand. Around the world we’ve seen the staggering statistics on gender-based violence where it is estimated that at least 1-3 women have experienced violence in their lifetime. 

While various commitments have been made to end violence against women and girls, this global pandemic is still very rampant experienced both online and offline ranging from domestic abuse to sexual assault to technologically assisted violence amongst others. 

Womankind Worldwide’s End Femicide campaign. 

Womankind Worldwide adds a voice in this year’s 16 days of ending gender-based violence by shedding a spotlight on femicide through a new publication: ‘An overview of Femicide- what it is, why it happens, and how to end it.’ 

Femicide involves the intentional murder and is the most extreme form of violence against women on account of their gender. It is mostly driven by discrimination against women and girls, harmful gender stereotypes and gender inequality.  

Our campaign: #EndFemicide seeks to create awareness and inspire collective action for change against femicide. We recognise that women’s rights organisations and feminist movements across the world are pivotal in bringing about the change needed to end femicide. In the face of systemic failings, grassroots feminist organisations and movements are courageously paving the way for a safer world for women and girls in all their diversities. 

Taking action against femicide 

In order to end femicide, we must address the root causes of violence against women. This means challenging systemic inequality in all its forms – including ensuring justice for victims of femicide, support for survivors of violence and accountability for perpetrators. It means a clear focus on prevention by promoting gender equality in both public and private spheres (from an early age), and ensuring equal opportunities in education, employment and leadership roles. Engaging with whole communities to challenge harmful cultural norms and gender stereotypes that enable violence against women is also a priority. 

• Together with other women’s rights organisations, the #EndFemicideNow campaign aims to spotlight the following femicide issues and statistics world over: Femicide is the most extreme manifestation of gender-based violence against women and girls, and it happens everywhere.: Femicide constitutes a global epidemic. 
• Femicide is not solely a result of misogynistic attitudes in personal relationships but also stems from the pervasive misogyny embedded in patriarchal social structures that women encounter daily. 
• Femicide is a global epidemic and needs to be treated as such by decision-makers. Femicide is a gender-based crime that disproportionately affects women and girls, highlighting the need for a gendered approach to addressing this issue. 

Join our campaign 

You can download the toolkit and add a voice to our call to action using the following hashtags: 

• #EndFemicideNow 
• #16DaysofActivism