In focus
In focus: 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence
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UN Women kicks off a UN-wide annual campaign on 25 November, the International Day to End Violence against Women.
Over the following 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, we are asking governments, institutions, and citizens to show us how much the world cares about ending violence against women and girls under the theme "UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls".
Led by civil society groups around the world, the campaign is supported by the United Nations through the Secretary General’s initiative, UNITE by 2030 to End Violence against Women.
0.2%
0.2 per cent of global Official Development Assistance is directed to gender-based violence prevention.
25%
25 per cent of countries have systems to track budget allocations for gender equality.
78%
78 per cent of countries have budgetary commitments to implement legislation addressing violence against women.
Some 736 million women — almost one in three — have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their lives. More than four in five women and girls (86 per cent) are living in countries without robust legal protection, or in countries for which data are not readily available.
No country is within reach of eradicating intimate partner violence. Despite the scale of the problem and these worrying trends, financial commitments to violence prevention remain limited. Investing in preventing violence against women and girls is crucial to achieving gender equality by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
We urge everyone to call on leaders worldwide to increase investments in preventing violence from happening in the first place.
Every effort invested in preventing violence against women is a step towards a safer, more equal, and prosperous world.
There's #NoExcuse for gender-based violence
Dig deeper
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Facts and figures: Ending violence against women
Ten ways to prevent violence against women
Making investment in violence prevention a priority
What is gender-responsive budgeting?
How funding women’s organizations prevents violence against women
Women's rights organizations are essential in tackling gender-based violence and driving progress toward a more equitable and violence-free world for women and girls. Despite the critical role of feminist activism to end violence against women, there has been a surge in anti-rights movements and backlash against women human rights defenders globally.
Here are four reasons why funding women’s organizations is essential for ending violence against women and girls.
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Impact stories
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Leaders discuss best practices for gender-responsive policing at Copenhagen conference
South African women’s group trains police to respond to gender-based violence
UN Women’s Oasis programme empowers Jordanian and Syrian women
Spotlight Initiative programme helps Ugandan survivors of gender-based violence advocate for their rights
Women’s shelters in Sri Lanka support survivors of gender-based violence
How men and boys can help women survivors of gender-based violence: Shu Huang’s story
News and events
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Less than 1 per cent of aid spending targets gender-based violence, according to new reports
UN Women calls for bold investments to end violence against women in light of new report showing prevention is severely underfunded
Speech: Time to get serious about ending violence, allocating serious resources
Official UN commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
Call to action: UNiTE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls!
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women media advisory
