From 25 November to 10 December, PAHO joins governments, civil society, the UN system, and other partners in marking the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. This is an international campaign that takes place each year between the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November) and Human Rights Day (10 December), calling for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls in all their diversity.
This year, the theme of the 16 Days is “Orange the world: UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”, drawing attention to the role each and every one of us has to advocate for change.
Violence is devastatingly pervasive in the Region, with enormous consequences for women’s and girls’ health and wellbeing. But we know that violence against women and girls can be prevented, and its consequences can be mitigated.
The International Day and the 16 Days of Activism are a timely opportunity to raise awareness for the health and social consequences of violence against women and strengthen our commitment to collective action.
CALL TO ACTION
Now more than ever is time to advocate for change and collaboration to end all violence against women and girls. COVID-19 has increased the urgency for action as well as the visibility of this important topic. As the Region of the America comes together to build back better, we must strengthen action to prevent and respond violence against women and girls.
This is not a new topic for the Region – there is much that we can learn from each other and that we can build on to keep advancing this agenda together.
Read more about how the Region has been advancing the regional Strategy and Plan of Action on Strengthening the Health System to Address Violence against Women.
Related links
- 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (UNWOMEN)
- Violence against Women (PAHO)
- Training Resources for Healthcare Personnel (PAHO)
- Violence against Women (WHO)
- Spotlight Initiative - Latin America Regional Programme
Report
The report, “Addressing violence against women in health policies and protocols in the Americas: a regional status report” is the first of its kind. It reviews policies in PAHO’s 35 Member States and offers a roadmap for health systems to join a multisectoral effort to address the issue.
The report provides an analysis of efforts to advance the prevention of violence against women through health policies, clinical protocols, multisectoral plans and related approaches across the Americas. Attention to this topic is timely, as the COVID-19 pandemic has created new visibility for this area of work.
It offers critical information on efforts in the Region that can be learned from and used to build upon in the future to prevent and respond to violence against all women and girls everywhere.
Resources for Healthcare Personnel
PAHO has developed a series of resources to strengthen the capacity of healthcare personnel to identify violence and frontline support. These resources respond directly to the needs of the countries of the Americas and are aligned with the priorities of the Strategy and Plan of Action on Strengthening the Health System to Address Violence against Women 2015-2025
Events and webinars
Launch of Addressing Violence Against Women in Health Policies and Protocols in the Americas: Regional Status Report 2022”
On Tuesday, 29 November, 2022, PAHO will host a webinar to launch the new report Addressing violence against women in health policies and protocols in the Americas. The event will be held at 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (Washington DC time).
As the first of its kind in the Region, the report offers a close look at the progress that countries in the Americas have made in line with commitments of the Regional Strategy and Plan of Action on Strengthening the Health System to Address Violence Against Women adopted by PAHO Member States in 2015.
Webinar: Strengthening the health sector’s capacity to address violence against migrant and refugee women and girls from Venezuela
On Wednesday, December 7, PAHO will host a regional virtual seminar to present and discuss the activities to address violence against migrant and refugee women and girls in four countries of the Region (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru). The webinar will take place from 10:00 to 11:30 am (Washington DC time)
The event offers an opportunity to share progress of national projects and key actions, discuss lessons learned in strengthening the health sector response to violence against Venezuelan refugee and migrant women, and discuss opportunities to continue to prevent and respond to violence in the Region in the future.
