Starting on November 25, organizations around the world join a movement to spread awareness and take action during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Campaign. The campaign runs from November 25 to December 10 and aims to educate and raise awareness, strengthen partnerships and programming, and advocate for government policies to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.
The theme of the 2018 campaign is “End Gender-Based Violence in the World of Work.” This year’s theme builds on the momentum and achievements during the 2017 campaign, when hundreds of organizations across the world campaigned around the theme of “Together We Can End GBV in Education.” In 2018, the campaign focuses on moving from awareness to action – pushing for real change and accountability.
Each day during 16 Days of Activism, Equimundo is sharing one action that you can take, as an individual, to prevent harassment and gender-based violence in the workplace and to support survivors. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and use #16Days and #IPledge to join the discussion. Share these 16 pledges, or write your own. It’s on all of us to take action.
#1: Listen.
#IPledge to listen to and elevate the voices of women. I will educate myself, and I will ask women how I can be a better ally in preventing violence.
#2. Believe women.
#IPledge to trust survivors, and work to understand systems and norms that seek to silence and discredit them.
#3 Support survivors.
#IPledge to learn what resources are available for supporting survivors in my workplace and community, although I’ll never take any action without the survivor’s explicit consent.
#4 Reflect.
#IPledge to reflect on my own identity, attitudes, and behaviors as they relate to power and privilege, and educate myself on how to be accountable to survivors of gender-based violence.
#5. Speak out.
#IPledge to never commit, condone, or remain silent about gender-based violence.
#6. Move from awareness to action.
#IPledge to take concrete, thoughtful, and informed action as a bystander to prevent violence, recognizing that awareness is not enough.
#7. Advocate.
#IPledge to be an advocate in my workplace for sexual harassment prevention initiatives and safe reporting mechanisms, as well as other ways to prevent violence in all forms.
#8. Support women leaders.
#IPledge to support women’s leadership and advancement, and to challenge stereotypes and obstacles that limit this progress.
#9. Talk it out.
#IPledge to always use respectful dialogue to resolve issues, never violence or intimidation.
#10. Understand intersectionality.
#IPledge to educate myself on intersectionality, recognizing that gender-based violence intersects with other identities and forms of oppression.
#11. Support sexual and gender diversity.
#IPledge to challenge sexist, homophobic, and transphobic attitudes in the workplace and to support equal rights, opportunities, and protections for all people.
#12. Set an example.
#IPledge to speak up if my coworkers treat women badly or promote violence. I will speak out against sexist jokes, misogyny, and rape culture.
#13. Educate other men.
#IPledge to have difficult conversations with male coworkers and friends about harmful behaviors, attitudes, and inequalities related to gender.
#14. Be comfortable being uncomfortable.
#IPledge to be mindful that reflecting on my privilege and power can be uncomfortable, but discomfort in allyship is part of the effort to end gender-based violence and workplace bias.
#15. Advocate for access.
#IPledge to advocate for workplace policies that support sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.
#16. Broadcast your support.
#IPledge to become a public ally for gender justice and workplace equality, while being mindful of the space I take and centering survivors’ voices.
