“....we need to tackle the source of the problem – we need to know what gender-based violence is in its entirety and we need perpetrators of gender-based violence to be held accountable.”

The 16 Days of Activism campaign is coming to an end and the engagement this year has been phenomenal. Now, it is time to take this fire and passion we have built up and run with it. If you’ve been following along with our 16 Days of Activism campaign over the past couple of weeks you’ll have seen discussions about : sharing intimate photos, intimate partner violence, gender-based violence in education, upskirting, slut-shaming, victim-blaming and the list goes on. We have also highlighted some power-house disruptors of rape culture - in particular, the campaign to make PSH iillegal run by Our Streets Now and our law-changing queen, Gina Martin. There has been a lot of information to digest over these past 16 Days and it can often feel quite overwhelming especially given the nature of the subject we are talking about. But we’re here to tell you that it is worth it - when organisations around the world come together with a concentrated focus in a concentrated period of time they create a collective noise and the cause is amplified ten-fold. To everyone in our community who has read our posts, shared our resources for schools and engaged with our campaign we want to thank you. However, the real work begins now.

The focus for so long has been on how to mitigate against gender-based violence. We see headlines giving women “top tips on how to walk home safely at night”, advertising local women-only self-defence classes, the best lip-stick shaped tasers and pepper sprays in the business, even suggesting women wear clothes that are less revealing and that they should get water instead of that second glass of wine. You might be thinking - "but all of these things make women safer" however sadly, you'd be wrong. Instead, this attitude perpetuates the narrative that perpetrators of gender-based violence play a passive role in these acts and that it is up to women and marginalised genders to ensure that violence isn’t inflicted on them. All the information and the gadgets we are bombarded with to “protect ourselves” are simply mitigating tools – at the end of the day, if I need to pepper spray someone, I was still very much attacked.... Why must we also carry the burden of taking responsibility for actions and violence inflicted upon us? These mitigating techniques and tools do not prevent violence and they are not effective.

What we have learnt over the past 16 Days is that gender-based violence manifests itself in dozens of different ways, many of which are routinely disregarded or misunderstood. This is why tackling gender-based violence around the world must start with education. The aim of the 16 Days of Activism campaign and all the organisations, initiatives and social enterprises (like us!) that support the campaign, is to eradicate gender-based violence, not just to lessen its impact. For that to happen, we need to tackle the source of the problem – we need to know what gender-based violence is in its entirety and we need perpetrators of gender-based violence to be held accountable. Why don’t we stop teaching women how to not be victims of gender-based violence and instead teach perpetrators not to inflict that violence?

At Bold Voices we’re reframing gender-based violence as a preventable public health problem that can be solved. We do not accept that gender based violence will be an inevitable part of our society that women and marginalised genders must protect themselves from forever. Unfortunately that’s not to say there is a quick fix; this not a culture that can be changed in 16 Days. Instead this is work that must be done every day of the year. Alongside the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership we are calling to take the campaign from 16 to 365 days. Raising awareness and tackling gender-based violence did not start on the 25th of November and it does not end today. Keep fighting with us!!

Not sure how to make a concrete difference to the fight against gender based violence? This Christmas you can buy our Bold Voices merch and support the work we do to educate and empower young people to recognise and tackle cultures of sexual violence - find our shop here!

16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women? We Need 365 Days.