16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence 2025

'UNiTE! End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls'

LWF sees the 16 Days campaign as an opportunity to unite member churches, country programs, and partners in a shared call to end violence against women and girls, including in digital spaces. It is an opportunity to showcase the gender justice work happening in countries around the world, connecting the experiences of women and girls at the local level with global advocacy mechanisms. 

Digital spaces can be used to build communion and promote justice, providing opportunities for women and girls to connect, learn and lead. But the rise of online violence has limited their ability to fully benefit from these digital spaces, turning these platforms into places of harm.  

Engaging on ending digital violence against women and girls is important because this form of violence, often carried out through online platforms, social media, messaging apps, and other digital spaces, has real-world consequences for individuals, communities, and societies. Churches and faith-based organizations can play a key role by mobilizing their networks and advocating for an end to all forms of sexual and gender-based violence.

This year's 16 Days campaign aims to

1. Raise awareness of and contribute to ending sexual and gender-based violence, particularly within a faith context, by increasing calls for stronger prevention and response efforts, mobilizing churches for local advocacy, and ensuring that more resources are available for organizations working to combat violence.
2. Increase advocacy on ending sexual and gender-based violence by calling for stronger legislation to protect women and girls and end impunity for perpetrators, both online and offline.
3. Strengthen accountability & transparency of technology companies to end digital VAWG through content moderation policies and codes of conduct.

Join us for the following activities:

• 29 November:
  • LWF Youth will be leading an online vigil.
  • ZOOM LINK coming soon
• 2 December:
  • Webinar on confronting online violence against women and girls, showcasing the gender justice work of some of our LWF member churches and country programs.
  • Register to attend
• 9 December:
  • Webinar on the importance of partnerships entitled 'Men and boys as allies in creating safe digital spaces'.
  • Register to attend

You can participate by:

1. Speaking out  

   Use your platform to raise awareness of digital violence during the 16 Days campaign and beyond. Consider using webinars, sermons, community dialogues or youth forums to spread the message. 

2. Advocating for Change  

   Engage with policymakers to strengthen legislation around digital violence against women and girls, ensuring that justice systems support survivors of online abuse and end impunity for perpetrators. 

3. Equipping your sphere of influence  

   Offer digital literacy training and online safety workshops especially for women, girls, and vulnerable groups in your congregation and community. 

4. Creating Safe Online Spaces

   Develop codes of conduct for your online communities, social media, and forums. Moderate actively and take reports of online harassment seriously. 

5. Supporting Survivors 

   Listen without judgment. Refer survivors to mental health professionals, legal aid, or digital security experts when possible. Ensure your church or organization is a safe space for disclosure. 

6. Sharing your 16 Days photos

   Please share your photos on social media and tag the LWF. 

   We can't wait to see your photos and share them with our community later this year! 

7. Join us. Take action. Break the silence. 

   Together, we can create safe digital spaces.