Global Organizing for the 16 Days

Highlights from 2003 Campaign

Statistics (1991-2003)

• 2003 Campaign Participating Organizations: 187 (of those, 76 new)
• 2003 Campaign Participating Countries: 40 (Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Congo, Cuba, England, Fiji, Finland, Germany, Ghana, India, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Ukraine, United States, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe)
• 2003 Campaign New Participating Countries: 4 (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Cuba, Portugal)
• 2003 Campaign - # of Languages into which Theme Announcement was Translated: 7 (English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Russian, Romanian)
• 1991 - 2003 Campaign Total Participating Countries: 137
• 1991 - 2003 Campaign Total Participating Organizations: approximately 1700
  

Participating Countries and Organizations by Region (1991-2003)*

* Due to both global discrepancies in Internet access and usage (which is our main source of information collection) and the fact that not all 16 Days participants report their activities to the Global Center, data does not completely reflect the larger extent of 16 Days organizing in certain regions, nor does it necessarily reflect the level of commitment on the part of the individual organizations from year to year.

Statistical Charts (PDF)

• 2003 16 Days Participating Countries
• 1991-2003 16 Days Participating Countries in Africa
• 1991-2003 16 Days Participating Countries in Asia and South Pacific
• 1991-2003 16 Days Participating Countries in Europe
• 1991-2003 16 Days Participating Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean
• 1991-2003 16 Days Participating Countries in the Middle East
• 1991-2003 16 Days Participating Countries in North America

Interesting 2003 16 Days Activities

Latin America and the Caribbean

Chile
The Latin American and Caribbean Women's Health Network (LACWHN) launched a campaign to review the implementation of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence Against Women Belem do Pará Convention to coincide with the commemoration of November 25th. The objectives of the campaign included: contributing to the prevention, punishment and eradication of violence against women in its various forms; mobilizing women's organizations throughout the region to take a public stand on the application of the Convention in their country; demanding the participation of the governments in this process and all processes related to the eradication of violence against women; demanding comprehensive care for women victims of violence. Contact: secretaria@reddesalud.org

Africa

Congo
Initiatives Femmes-Enfants et Developpement (IFED) held a mock trial on violence against women and the girl child in South Kivu. IFED organized a mock trial on violence against women in collaboration with students from the Law School of the Catholic University of Bukavu and the University Centre of Bukavu. The scenario recaptured the experience of a girl child, defiled by twelve soldiers and now pregnant and HIV positive. This is a real case, but all the actors were fictitious. Students from the Law schools acted as counsels to the victims. They had to use the provisions of the CEDAW and other relevant international and African human rights instruments in their argumentation. A debate was organized just after the performance on the increasing rate of rape and defilement in South Kivu Province. Contact: IFED_wcdi@yahoo.fr

Nigeria
Teachers Without Borders, Nigeria coordinated an extensive campaign for the 2003 celebration of 16 Days. A group of NGOs including community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, women and youth associations, in partnership with government agencies and activists coordinated programs to carry out during the 2003 Campaign against violence against women in Nigeria. Their program included: a Jumat Service on November 28th in mosques with sermons by Imams on the topic "Violence Against Women on Earth: A Sin Against Allah in Heaven." The service was coordinated by Alhaji Okiri and the Islamic Sisters Association. There were also Islamic Prayer Sessions for the Elimination of Violence against Women. On December 1st, World AIDS Day, the coalition's activities included lectures on "Women and HIV/AIDS in Nigeria," over the following topics: "Elimination of Stigma, Discrimination, and Violence Against Women Living With HIV-AIDS (WLWHA)," "Women Widowed By HIV-AIDS (WWBHA)," and "The Plight of Nigerian Women Living With HIV-AIDS, Widowed By HIV-AIDS and Girl-Child Orphaned By HIV-AIDS." There was also an update on Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV-AIDS in Nigeria and a Special Meeting between the Rivers State Governor and His Wife with Women Living With HIV-AIDS and Women Widowed By HIV-AIDS to break the stigma, discrimination and violence against WLWHA. Contact: twb-nigeria@justice.com

Tanzania
The African Youth Development Foundation put together a number of events for last year's 16 Days Campaign. These included a football competition for young women's football teams in Dar Es Salaam from November 28th through December 1st and a Youth Conference on Gender Violence and Human Rights on December 10th. Contact: africanyouth2000@yahoo.com

Asia and the South Pacific

Fiji
On December 10th, femLINKpacific joined with UNIFEM Pacific, and together with the Republic of Cappucino and Kahawa coffee shops, they held the first-ever Suva City Coffee Morning (CCM) to mark the end of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence. In this pilot initiative for the capital city the organizers have planned a new and innovative way to commemorate and consider the 10th Anniversary of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women. At five locations around the city, free tea and coffee was distributed, informational material was handed out and interactive discussions were held. This initiative was also exciting because of the collaboration between the coffee shops to join in this effort which provided space for interested members of the public to join the youth facilitators in a series of discussions especially designed for the day. Participants were encouraged to raise their coffee mug to International Human Rights Day and join the organizers and other women's human rights and peace advocates in reiterating that violence against women violates human rights and that there can be no human rights without women's human rights. Contact: femlinkpac@is.com.fj

India
Swadhina organized various events to celebrate the 2003 16 Days Campaign. Encouraged by the response of the women in the previous year and the large number of emboldened participation by the local women, Swadhina once again organized the Women's Fest, popularly called "Mahila Shakti Utsav" ("Women are the Power" Fest). It was organized at Betnoti, Mayurbhanj on the 29th of November, 2003 and included the following: a speech contest for around fifteen women participants of which the topic was "Women Have the Power to Combat Domestic Violence," a presentation of songs and dance of social relevance, and a discussion on women's issues. Swadhina also organized a Women's Health Check-Up Camp on December 3rd to stress the right of women to have adequate health check-up facilities and to encourage women to believe that their good health is their right. Contact: email: swadhina@vsnl.com or mainoffice@swadhina.org

Pakistan
Working Women Organization organized a Human Chain on December 9th in front of Lahore Press Club. The theme of the chain was "All Human Beings are Born Equal and Free". A strong chain of human hands declared that participants cannot tolerate any discrimination and exploitation on the basis of color, creed, religion, sect and gender. Three hundred and fifty women workers from formal and informal sectors and children joined the chain and chanted slogans like "Women rights are human rights," "stop anti workers policies," "eliminate black laws against women," "down with feudalism," "stop inflation," and "stop privatization". Contact: wwo@brain.net.pk

Philippines
The Women and Gender Commission of the Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (WGC-AMRSP) and the Institute of Formation and Religious Studies (IFRS) Student Body held a prayer campaign for the elimination of all forms of violence against women. They earnestly invited participants to use the following prayer guide during their sharing/praying time in their communities, convents, seminaries, schools, parishes and homes. The launching of their 16 Days Prayer Campaign took the form of a PARALITURGY on November 25th at the IFRS Lobby, 28, Acacia St. New Manila. Their Prayer Campaign was as follows:

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IS A SIN AND A CRIMINAL ACT WHICH MUST BE ELIMINATED!
WOMEN OPT FOR PEACE, LIFE, AND INTEGRITY OF CREATION!

May we invite everyone to join us in our prayer. Here we offer you the prayers and intentions for each day of the 16 Days.

Opening Prayer: O God of Life, You call us to respond with greater commitment to the needs of women for their development, rights, defense, upliftment and freedom. We are asked to define new ministries, to make new roads in our apostolic strategies to respond to new situations and new questions of the poor and of women.

But sometimes, just sometimes we lack the drive to take the risk. Sometimes, just sometimes we need to be reminded again of our lukewarm response. We forget…sometimes to take upon ourselves the cause of women in our everyday encounters with life. And yet we believe in the united efforts of women and men, We believe that the power to create and re-create is in our hands. We remember and pray for each and every survivor/victim of gender violence.

PLEASE LIGHT A CANDLE for every petition. For…
Nov. 25: Women victims of domestic violence, battered wives, marital rape
Nov. 26: Victims/survivors of rape, incest, sexually abused/harassed
Nov. 27: Female infanticide and selective abortions, female genital mutilation
Nov. 28: Maltreated and sexually abused children
Nov. 29: Victims/survivors of sex trafficking and prostitution
Nov. 30: Women victims of unfair labor practice (e.g. contractualization, etc.)
Dec. 1: Victims/survivors of AIDS
Dec. 2: Victims of war/militarism
Dec. 3: Victims of media violence
Dec. 4: Women migrant workers
Dec. 5: Women victims of sexual abuses in the church
Dec. 6: Women victims of violence/injustices from the rural areas
Dec. 7: Women from the cultural minorities who suffer violence and injustice
Dec. 8: Women/children suffer from acute poverty and displacement
Dec. 9: For all victims of gender violence particularly violence against Lesbians and gays
Dec. 10: Women in death row and all those detained and victims of Human Rights Violations (HRV)

Final Prayer: O God, unite us with your grace and wisdom. Shower your blessings upon us as we look forward to the age of peace, when violence is banished, both women and men are able to love and to be loved, and the work and wealth of our world is justly shared. We look forward to the future in faith and hope. May it come soon. Amen.

Europe

Ireland
Women's Aid held a number of events for 2003 16 Days, including a "Dining Out To Make A Difference Campaign" which ran in twenty of Dublin's finest restaurants during the campaign. Participating restaurants added €1 to diners' bills, which went directly to Women's Aid. It was hoped that this innovative way of raising both funds and public awareness, would work on two levels: by challenging the silence that still exists around domestic violence, as well as raising much needed funds for the organization. Contact: info@womensaid.ie

Norway
On the 25th of November, FOKUS (Forum for Women and Development), held a bridal-march through the streets of Oslo entitled "Imagine a World without Violence Against Women - Can love kill?". This year the women's organizations in Norway wanted to draw the attention to all the women killed every year by their (ex)husbands or boyfriends. Women marched through the streets of the capital, dressed up as brides, asking the question "Can love kill?" The march ended in front of the Parliament, where there was an appeal of the day. Later in the evening there was a discussion meeting with representatives from women's organizations, researchers, politicians and male organizations working against violence against women. Contact: fokus@fokuskvinner.no

Romania
A coalition of organizations collaborated to mark the 16 Days Campaign in Romania. On November 21st, they held a classical music concert in Bucharest dedicated to the victims of domestic violence, the funds from which were donated to the services provided by APoWeR. The Romanian partners included APoWeR/APFR, Timisoara Association for the Promotion of Women in Romania, (Timisoara / Asociatia pentru Promovarea Femeii din Romania, Timisoara - APFR), FORUM made of SEG (Society for Gender Equality) & Society of Bucovinean Ladies, Suceava, PATRIR Romanian Institute for Peace, Cluj-Napoca, ALTERNATIVE SOCIALE, Iasi, and the University Student League, Alba-Iulia. Contact: apfr@mail.dnttm.ro

North America

United States
Silence Speaks, an organization in California which teaches survivors of violence against women how to create short digital videos, or "digital stories," of courage and healing, held a screening of these videos as a way of raising awareness about the issue of violence against women and mobilizing people to get involved in prevention. A screening was also held in Texas. Contact: Amy Hill, Silence Speaks Coordinator, at amylenita@concentric.org

Past International Calendars of Campaign Activities

2002 • 2001 • 2000 • 1999 • 1998 (in PDF Format*)
1997 • 1996 • 1995 • 1994 • 1993 • 1992 • 1991 (in HTML Format)
*to read PDF files, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader, please click on image to download