16 Days of Action Against Gender-based Violence
The 16 Days of Action Against Gender-Based Violence takes place annually between 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), and 10 December, International Human Rights Day.
Every year the VAWG Team at Haringey put together a calendar of events and training sessions offered by the team and our partners to raise awareness and take meaningful action to tackle VAWG.
Events 2022
See below a list of events that took place in 2022.
Thursday 24 November 2022, 11am-1pm
- Event: ‘Islington Women Together’ workshop - social activities, gathering and lunch
- Organiser: MEWSO (Middle Eastern Women’s Society and Organisation)
- Where: Andover Community Centre, 55 Corker Walk, Finsbury Park, N7 7RY
Monday 28 November, 4pm-6pm
- Event: 'Raise your Voice! - International Online Conference For All Women Who Have Died Fighting For Freedom #MahsaAmini'
- Organiser: MEWSO (Middle Eastern Women’s Society and Organisation)
- Where: Online live event. If you could not attend, you can watch a recording online on YouTube: MEWSo's International Women's Conference #MahsaAmini (external link)
Thursday 1 December, 11am-2pm
- Event: ‘Westminster Women Together’ workshop - social activities, gathering and lunch
- Organiser: MEWSO (Middle Eastern Women’s Society and Organisation)
- Where: Derry House, Church St Estate, Westminster
Friday 9 December, 12pm
- Event: The webinar was aimed at creating awareness on how domestic abuse increases in December. Among other things, we also covered the correlation between football tournaments/World Cup and domestic abuse case number spikes.
- Audience: professionals and parents
- Where: Online
How to call out unacceptable behaviour
Say something
You can show your disapproval at what is going on for example, by not laughing and saying: 'I don’t think that’s funny'. Or you could be more direct, if you feel it’s safe to do so, by saying it’s unacceptable and tell them to stop.
Tell someone
If you don't feel safe enough yourself to call unacceptable behaviour, you could tell someone else; for example, the bar staff if you’re in a pub or club, Human Resources (HR) if you’re at work, the bus driver if you’re on public transport.
You could also tell another member of the public or a passer-by and see if they’re willing to help - working together can be a safer, more effective way to call it out. It is important to check in with the victim on who they want to tell, or if they want to call the police.
Offer support
You can ask the victim if they’re OK. You could capture what’s happening on your phone and ask if they want the footage to report the incident, and you could offer to help report it. You could also help others already giving support.
If it’s someone you know, check in with them when they are alone and offer to help or support them to report it if they want.
If you think they might be in an abusive relationship, there is expert advice on what you can do and support available online or on the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Provide a diversion
Sometimes what's best in the moment is creating a distraction, giving the person being targeted a chance to move away or giving others the opportunity to get help. You could strike up conversation with the victim, eg ask for directions, or where the next stop is on the bus, or pretend you know them. If you’re at work, you could make up an excuse to speak to them about an unrelated task. You could also try dropping something nearby or creating some other minor commotion.
How you can support the campaign
Find out what you can do and how you can support the campaign in ending violence against women and girls: