The 16 Days of Activism take place every year from November 25 to December 10, 2024. This global event brings together grassroots feminist organizations, who play an essential role in the fight against gender-based violence. But after these 16 days of awareness-raising, campaigning and advocacy, we are left with the question: what happens once the spotlight is off and how can the efforts made have a lasting impact?
THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF GRASSROOTS FEMINIST ORGANIZATIONS DURING THE 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM
Grassroots feminist organizations are the “local actors” who work throughout the year to combat gender-based violence in their respective countries and communities. Their mobilization during the 16 Days of Activism is essential to raise awareness, educate, and offer support to victims. On all fronts, they carry out numerous essential actions to maintain pressure and open spaces for dialogue on gender-based violence:
- Community awareness: Workshops, conferences, film screenings, and public events to inform people about the consequences of gender-based violence and how to protect themselves from it.
- Advocacy: Demonstrations, media campaigns, and engagement with local authorities to demand more ambitious policies and greater support for victims.
- Support for victims: Access to free legal consultations, psychological counselling, and assistance with administrative and legal procedures.
WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP, GIVEN THERE IS STILL AN URGENT NEED FOR STRONG POLITICAL WILL?
While the 16 Days of Activism are an opportunity to mobilize public opinion, what specific actions need to be taken after these events? Mobilization can only have a lasting impact when backed by strong political will and tangible measures to protect women and combat gender-based violence.
Feminist organizations, although often the first to initiate change on the ground, face a chronic lack of institutional support. The 16 Days of Activism cannot be reduced to a one-off mobilization; they must be the starting point for sustained action to address the challenges of gender-based and sexual violence, which must include:
- Stronger laws: Many countries are adopting laws against gender-based violence, but their enforcement remains insufficient. Governments must ensure that existing laws are effective and introduce new legislation to better protect victims.
- The creation of permanent support services for victims: Shelters, hotlines, and counselling centers must be available and funded year-round.
- Training for institutional actors: Law enforcement, the legal system, and social services must receive regular training on how to care for victims of gender-based violence.
- Sustainable funding for feminist organizations: Grassroots feminist organizations, which work at all levels of society to raise awareness, educate, and support victims, need long-term funding. They must be supported by public and private grants to carry out their work throughout the year.
- Establishing a clear accountability framework: To ensure that actions taken against violence are effective, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms must be put in place to measure progress and identify gaps.
MOBILIZING AND SUSTAINING COMMITMENT
The 16 Days of Activism are a strategic timeframe to highlight the fight against gender-based violence. However, this mobilization must not be limited to this symbolic period. Real change will only happen once governments and institutions demonstrate a genuine political will to support victims, strengthen protection mechanisms, and ensure that the actions taken by grassroots feminist organizations are both effective and sustainable. Yet conservative or authoritarian governments are deliberately seeking to limit freedom of expression and activist actions. Some activists are currently in prison. Many feminist organizations, which depend on the work of volunteers, continue to take risks.
Feminist organizations and citizens continue to actively lobby and raise awareness every day. The fight against violence against women does not end after the 16 Days of Activism — far from it.