16 days of activism against gender-based violence

Make it your business to tackle gender-based violence and every day sexism.

This is the call of a collective who are uniting for 16 days of activism against the epidemic of male violence against women and girls.

‘UNITE! Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls’ is the theme for this year’s campaign spearheaded by Bristol Women’s Commission as part of wider action across the country.

The organisation – along with others such as the council, police, universities and women’s charities – is urging everyone to take action.

In an open letter, signed by 15 women representing a number of these organisations, they state: “We have made a lot of progress locally with a wide range of issues over the last ten years but, as we all know, we live in a time where an epidemic of male violence continues to take a heavy toll on the lives of women and girls in Bristol, the country and across the world, causing long-term harm and standing in the way of equality.

“Gender-based violence is a global public health, equality and human rights issue. It remains a systemic crisis, affecting one in three women worldwide.”

The message to the wider city is to be active bystanders who call out the misogynistic attitudes that underpins male violence, tackle misogyny within organisations and to believe in women’s stories and experiences.

The 16 days of activism will run until Sunday, December 10.

Claire Bloor, chair of Bristol Women’s Commission’s women safety task group and CEO of SARSAS, adds: “This is also a time to remember all those women (85 already this year and on average one woman every three days) that are killed at the hands of a man.

“A moment to feel the full weight and exhaustion of living in a world with the palpable ongoing threat of male violence and relentless everyday sexism that so many of us endure.”

The letter calls for everyone to:

• Be active bystanders: Call out misogynist attitudes and behaviour that underpin male violence
• Tackle misogyny within your organisations through investing in training and appropriate policies, developing reporting processes and taking action to tackle perpetrators
• Listen to women, believe women
• Understand the different forms male violence and abuse can take
• Look out for women who may be suffering domestic or sexual violence or abuse
• Support interventions and campaigns to tackle male violence and abuse
• Increase funding, where possible, for services supporting survivors
• Invest, where possible, in accredited programmes proven to be effective with perpetrators
• Recognise that some groups of women may find it more difficult to get their voices heard (e.g. adolescent, black and racially minoritised women, older and disabled women)
• Signpost to specialist support where available
• Enhance women’s safety by working with gender equality experts when planning public and office spaces
• Follow and support the work of Bristol Women’s Commission

From the media, it asks for:

• More balanced coverage in the media
• An end to victim-blaming
• Labelling male violence as male violence when men are the perpetrators (e.g. drink spiking)

Main photo: Bristol Women’s Commission

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