The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence against women is an international campaign originating from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute. […] The dates for the campaign were chosen to link violence against women and human rights and emphasize that gender-based violence against women is a violation of human rights: since 1991, the campaign has been active between November 25, the International Day Against Violence Against Women, and December 10, International Human Rights Day. (Center for Women’s Global Leadership, n. d.).
In addition to the Center for Women’s Global Leadership, several other organizations advocate for women’s rights during this period. United Nations Women designed a document for 2020 with the theme “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!“.
Canadian Women’s Foundation designed the “Your Must Read and Watch List for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence“, which has many valuable resources. UBC Library provides online streaming access to the documentary A Better Man, and to the Vancouver-based film The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open. You can also read I’m Afraid of Men, by Vivek Shraya, available through the UBC Library Materials Pick-Up Service.
BC Women’s Health Foundation has been doing impactful work on supporting women in British Columbia, and you can get a bit more familiar with their initiatives by reading Here for Her : BC Women’s Health Foundation’s 2019-2020 Impact Report.
The City of Vancouver added Case Studies to their 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence page as part of their Women’s Equity Strategy Program.
If you want to learn more about Advocating for gender equity, the Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice (GRSJ) Library Guide is a great place to get started with. To help you get acquainted with the theme and to celebrate the life of survivors, we’ve highlighted some resources available at UBC Library:
Feminist Advocacy, Family Law and Violence Against Women: International Perspectives
The book takes case studies from Brazil, India, Iran, Lebanon, Nigeria, Palestine, Senegal, and Turkey, using them to demonstrate in each case the varied history of family law, and the wide variety of issues impacting women’s equality in legislation. Interviews with prominent women’s rights activists in three additional countries are also included, giving personal accounts of the successes and failures of past reform efforts. Overall, the book provides a complex global picture of current trends and strategies in the fight for a more egalitarian society. (IDRC, n. d.)
Un/masked : memoirs of a Guerrilla Girl On Tour
Donna Kaz was 24 years old when she moved to New York City in the fall of 1977 to pursue a career in theatre. .[..] It took Kaz fourteen years to begin to admit she had survived domestic violence. Once she realized the extent of the abuse she had been subjected to she pulled a gorilla mask over her head and became “Aphra Behn,” a bad-ass feminist, activist and member of THE GUERRILLA GIRLS. (Guerrilla Girls on Tour, n. d.)
Desert flower : the extraordinary journey of a desert nomad
Waris Dirie is a Human Rights activist. In Desert Flower, a biography, Dirie shares her story, from genital mutilation in the Somali desert to London runaways.
Alice Walker’s award winning book was adapted for the screens. The film, directed by Steven Spielberg, is available for online streaming.
The National Film Board of Canada has a selection of Films on Gender-Based Violence.
Regardless of your gender identity and sexual orientation, if you are a woman struggling, or you know someone who needs support, reach out to the UBC Equity & Inclusion office. You can also check out this list of resources carefully curated by Metro Vancouver YMCA.
REFERENCES:
Center for Women’s Global Leadership. (n. d.). About the 16 Days of Activism Campaign. 16 Days Campaign. https://16dayscampaign.org/about-the-campaign/
Guerrilla Girls on Tour. (n. d.). About the book. https://guerrillagirlsontour.com/unmasked/un-masked-memoirs-of-a-guerrilla-girls-on-tour
IDRC. (n. d.). Feminist Advocacy, Family Law and Violence Against Women: International Perspectives. https://www.idrc.ca/en/book/feminist-advocacy-family-law-and-violence-against-women-international-perspectives
IMAGE:
“#orangeurhood Solomon Islands” by UN Women Gallery is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
