16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence 2024

Monday 25 November marks the start of the United Nation’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.

Everyone deserves to be safe and be respected. This is not the case for many women in Australia, 1 in 3 of whom have experienced gender-based violence. The 16 Days of Activism is an annual campaign that calls for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and children (EVAW).

This year’s theme is ‘Every 10 minutes, a woman is killed. #NoExcuse. UNiTE to End Violence against Women’.

The theme brings to light the alarming escalation of violence against women and aims to call for accountability and action to make a difference.

Over the past 3 federal Budgets, the Australian Government committed $3.4 billion towards implementing the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children, 2022-32. In September, National Cabinet met in Canberra to agree practical next steps to accelerate action to end gender-based violence in a generation.

National Cabinet agreed to a comprehensive $4.7 billion package that harnesses important opportunities to work together to prevent violence and support legal services. It brings together efforts and funding to:

• Deliver much needed support for frontline specialist and legal services responding to gender based violence
• Innovative approaches to better identify and respond to high-risk perpetrators to stop violence escalating
• Address the role that systems and harmful industries play in exacerbating violence.

The Department of Social Services works to end gender-based violence under the National Plan through multiple initiatives and programs. These initiatives include:

• Stop it at the Start campaign and the national Consent Campaign
• Supporting Adolescent Boys Trial
• The Leaving Violence Program
• The Primary Prevention Activities Program being delivered by Our Watch
• 1800RESPECT
• The DV-alert program delivered by Lifeline Australia
• 500 new frontline and community sector workers to support victim-survivors across Australia.

Find out more

Learn more about the UN’s 16 Days of Activism(Opens in a new tab/window).

More information on what the Department of Social Services is doing to address gender-based violence.