What is 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence?
The 16 Days Of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that runs from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women until 10 December, Human Rights Day.
It was started by activists at the Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and continues to provide a spotlight every year for campaigns working to prevent and eliminate gender-based violence.
We often think of violence as a physical act causing physical harm. But for girls around the world, violence has many faces. It can be subtle and not easily recognised but still deeply damaging.
The Australian government needs to step up and improve education and legislation surrounding online safety. In comparison to other countries, Australia’s online safety legislation is behind the curve. As technology rapidly develops and social media giants create new ways of engaging online, Australian legislation must advance.
– Siena, YAS 2021, Freedom Online Report Tweet
‘The Plan’
The new National Plan to End Violence Against Women Women and Children 2022-2032 has recently been released. The plan is a ‘shared vision’ from both national and state and territory governments.
The reports ‘Future Online’ and ‘The Truth Gap’ from this year highlight the ways in which girls and young women in all their diversities face harassment and misinformation online and the real impacts this has on their well-being.
In two of the biggest surveys on online safety worldwide, 65% of Australian girls and young women aged 15-25 have been exposed to a spectrum of online violence (compared to the global figure of 58%), and half of those who have experienced harassment have suffered mental and emotional distress as a result.
One in five girls said that misinformation online had left them feeling physically unsafe.
Our Youth Activists have urgently called on the Government and social media companies to do more, to create safer spaces for young people online.