Violence against women is a violation of human rights.

To raise awareness and spark advocacy for change, the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign begins on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November and runs through International Human Rights Day on 10 December, inspiring action to combat such violence in all its forms: child marriage, female genital mutilation, digital violence, intimate partner violence and rape, among other atrocities.

UNFPA strives to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls, wherever and whenever it occurs.

In a world wracked by humanitarian crises – both natural and human made – the risk of gender-based violence increases amid the chaos and breakdown of law and order. For women and girls, their bodies often become battlegrounds, with rape used as a tactic to humiliate or dominate, while the support they so desperately need is thin on the ground.

In the virtual world, digital violence takes on many nefarious forms, including trafficking and sexual exploitation that disproportionately affects women and girls. Survivors feel fear, panic, anxiety, depression. They have suicidal thoughts. They see adverse effects on their relationships, studies, work and social lives. Perpetrators of digital violence – also known as technology-facilitated gender-based violence – largely target marginalized communities. Sometimes digital violence moves offline, threatening people’s physical safety. UNFPA knows the virtual is real.

With nearly one in three women and girls on the planet estimated to have been subjected to gender-based violence, we must invest far more resources and garner more political will towards eliminating such violence in all its forms.

To that end, survivors and advocates are increasingly speaking up, sharing their stories and calling for change. And UNFPA is mobilizing partners, resources and programming with the goal of making all spaces safe for women and girls, everywhere.

“Violence against women and girls is completely preventable,” UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem has said. “We can stop this crisis by acting in solidarity with the growing numbers of people who are standing up and saying, ‘enough.’”

Updated 27 November 2023