16 Days of Activism: Gender-Based Violence in Times of War and Crisis
Introduction
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is an annual international campaign initiated by activists at the Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991. Running between November 25 and December 10, the campaign aims to raise awareness, mobilize action, and advocate for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls worldwide.
The campaign seeks to engage individuals, organizations, and governments in efforts to invest in preventing gender-based violence. The ultimate goal is to create a world free from violence towards women and girls by fostering global solidarity and implementing concrete measures to address and prevent GBV.
This year’s theme for the campaign is “UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls.” The campaign urges citizens worldwide to demonstrate their commitment to ending violence by sharing the actions they are taking, and governments to showcase their investments in gender-based violence prevention.
Recognizing the prevalent challenges rooted in patriarchal norms, the campaign emphasizes the imperative of investing in preventative initiatives and making commitments and policy actions in four key areas: Fund, Prevent, Respond, and Collect.
Terms and History of Coining Gender-Based Violence
The term “gender-based violence” (GBV) refers to harmful acts directed at an individual or group because of their gender. It encompasses various forms of violence, including physical, sexual, emotional, and economic abuse. The history of coining the term and the recognition of GBV as a distinct and pervasive issue is closely tied to the feminist movement and the broader struggle for gender equality.
1. Emergence of the Term:
The term “gender-based violence” gained prominence in the late 20th century as part of the feminist discourse. It was used to highlight the fact that violence is often rooted in unequal power dynamics between men and women.
The feminist movements of the 1960s and 1970s played a crucial role in drawing attention to violence against women as a systemic issue. Activists worked to shift the focus from viewing such violence as isolated incidents to recognizing it as part of a larger pattern of discrimination and oppression.
2. International Recognition:
The United Nations began addressing gender-based violence in the 1990s. The Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 marked a significant moment when governments around the world acknowledged the prevalence of violence against women and committed to taking action to address it.
Over time, the understanding of GBV has expanded to include various forms of violence that are rooted in gender inequalities. This includes violence against not only women but also against individuals who do not conform to traditional gender norms.
3. Legal Frameworks:
International and national legal frameworks have been developed to address gender-based violence. For example, the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (1993) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) have contributed to shaping policies and legislation.
Despite increased awareness and efforts to combat gender-based violence, challenges persist. Issues such as underreporting, stigma, and cultural norms that perpetuate violence remain significant barriers to effectively addressing this problem.
Examples from SWANA Countries
In the SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) region, gender-based violence (GBV) is a pressing issue that is often amplified by conflicts and crises, which have ravaged the region in recent years.
Morocco
Despite efforts to address the issue, GBV remains a significant concern in Morocco. Morocco’s Public Prosecutor office received more than 96,000 complaints related to violence against women in 2021, representing a nearly 50% increase from 2020.
The already dire situation was exacerbated in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Morocco on September 8th of 2023. A distressing reality emerged for girls affected by the disaster, as they were exposed to heightened risks of exploitation, sexual harassment, and human trafficking through online GBV.
As part of a disturbing social media campaign, adult men were encouraged to travel to affected villages and marry young girls, with some individuals even traveling to the affected areas and purportedly proposing marriage to young girls using their “safety” as an excuse.
Sudan
Violent clashes in Sudan on April 15, 2023, triggered gender-based sexual violence. Widespread reports of such violence emerged by late May, with the government's Combating Violence Against Women Unit verifying at least 88 incidents by July 2023. The GBV Sub-Sector welcomed a scale-up in response to increased violence and displacement post-April 15, with over 1 million additional people needing GBV services despite access challenges.
Difficulties, including telecommunication blackouts, stigma contributing to underreporting, and declining supplies, heighten risks for displaced women and girls, especially during transit and at border crossings. Vulnerability is exacerbated by soaring prices of essential goods and cash scarcity. These challenges are expected to worsen, highlighting the urgent need for global attention and decisive action.
Yemen
In Yemen, where deeply rooted gender inequality prevails, especially for women, the ongoing conflict exacerbates their plight. Despite being the lowest-ranked country in the Global Gender Gap index for over a decade, women and girls face intensified challenges. Negative stereotypes, unfair laws, and economic disparities make them highly susceptible to violence.
Shockingly, an alarming 2.6 million women and girls are at risk of gender-based violence, with an additional 52,000 facing the grim threat of sexual violence, including rape. The conflict not only triggers economic crises and damages infrastructure but also restricts women's mobility due to cultural norms, making it even harder for them to access basic necessities like food, water, and healthcare.
Libya
The aftermath of the disastrous floods caused by Storm Daniel in Libya on September 11, 2023 has conspicuously increased the number of women exposed to risks of gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA). Among more than forty thousand Libyans and “climate refugees”–a term that doesn't exist under international law-, women were displaced in temporary shelters deprived of minimum security. Prior to the crisis, the country has long witnessed rampant gender-based violence aggravated by political instability, the breakdown of the rule of law, and the proliferation of traffickers and armed groups. Thus, women, including non-Libyan migrants, are left vulnerable to sexual violence, abduction for ransom, and trafficking.
In addition, women and girls in Libya have endured repressive regulations and discriminatory policies authorized by the government, such as restricting the rights of women and girls to travel abroad without a male guardian or mahram.
Palestine
Gender-based violence (GBV) is still a crucial problem rooted in societal norms that uphold traditional and patriarchal principles, male power, control, and the subordination of women and girls. For instance, child marriage is still common in rural and marginalized areas, such as Gaza, Area C, and East Jerusalem, where poverty and gender inequality are contributing factors. Results of qualitative analysis showed that Israeli occupation and the political violence characterizing the area for decades (including restriction of movement, house demolitions, separation of family members, etc.) have also invigorated and increased GBV in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Palestinian women defenders, journalists, and media students are blatantly susceptible to various forms of violations by Israeli occupation forces, through harassment, physical abuse, censorship, equipment confiscation, interrogation, restriction of movement, detention, arrest, and protection of settler violence, all effectively diluting the ability of defenders to continue their work promoting the rights of Palestinians.
Syria
Sexual and gender-based violence in Syria, exacerbated by the conflict, affects women and girls, with widows, divorced women, and young girls being particularly vulnerable. Factors like poverty, displacement, and age expose them to exploitation and forced marriage. Movement restrictions contribute to the risk of sexual violence. For example, in Damascus, adolescent girls recount enduring child marriage, attempted assault, and family violence. Enforcement of laws against violence is weak, allowing perpetrators to act with impunity. Socio-cultural factors, including shame, stigma, and lack of services, hinder justice for survivors. Domestic violence, often normalized, lacks specific legal prohibition.
Moreover, the conflict has increased the incidence of domestic violence and marital rape. In conflict zones, various armed groups, including government forces, use sexual violence as a strategic weapon. Vulnerable groups in Idlib endure repressive policies, including restrictions on movement, dress, and healthcare. The SDF, Turkey-backed armed groups, and former ISIL-controlled areas also witness violations against women.
What International Organizations Fail to Address?
A significant failure to address and tackle the interplaying root causes of women’s amplified persecution and gendered patterns during times of war and crisis is prevalent in the knowledge system of international organizations and its praxis.
As colonialism entailed invading native lands, violating women’s bodies constituted a symbolism for the invasion of the native land. This can be related to the essentialist association between the woman and the earth. Terms like “virgin earth,” “fertile land”, and “barren soil” are the linguistic product of this symbolism. These power dynamics also encompass intersecting colonial policies such as racial/ethnic divisions, differentiation of the “other”, land regulations, and codifications that reinforce persistent inequalities, re-mold pre-existing patriarchal structures and beliefs, and endure till modern times.
Accordingly, International organizations fail to properly address and tackle the root causes of these implications. Instead, they resort to tackling their effects, rather than endeavoring for action plans against these deeply-rooted, structural-systemic legacies. Undoubtedly, this perpetually places women in unequal power dynamics and contributes to an array of violations against them.
Political and interest-based interventions (from perpetrating entities of GBV) significantly collude with the failed efforts of international organizations to address the root causes of violations against women, besides the proper and non-selective execution of international law. A recent example concerning this matter is portrayed by the case of the UN’s obedience to Israel’s demand to expel Lynn Hastings, a UN resident and humanitarian coordinator, from Palestinian territories when she spoke up against the atrocities of the occupation. Political implications can also lead to hindering effective and gender-sensitive intervention, such as providing sufficient humanitarian aid in instances of war, crisis, and displacement (such as supplies/products related to securing SRHRs), while also contributing to systematic inaction and media blackout.
Furthermore, it impedes access to funding for women's organizations, which is monopolized by these international organizations. In fact, less than 1% of aid funding is put towards fighting GBV; despite the presence of “evidence on how to prevent and end it”. Additionally, both similarly-modeled, neo-liberal economic reforms (such as IMF interventions) and various aspects of religious fundamentalism, contribute to the disempowerment of women in the global south. These policies contribute to perpetuating their exposure to work exploitation and deprivation of facilitated access to fundamental rights.
Conclusion
The 16 Days of Activism campaign spotlights the urgent global imperative to combat violence against women and girls. The historical evolution of "gender-based violence" underscores its pervasive nature rooted in unequal power dynamics. Despite international efforts and legal frameworks, challenges persist, vividly illustrated by Morocco's post-disaster vulnerabilities, Sudan's aftermath of violent clashes, Yemen's intensified crisis, Libya's exposure to risks after floods, and the enduring challenges faced by women in Palestine and Syria amid conflict. Urgent global attention and unwavering commitment are essential to dismantle cultural norms, address systemic inequalities, and create a world where women and girls are free from violence.
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Authors: Aya Adel Aboseada, Fatima Zahra Ait Hamou, Huwayda El Zain, Mayssem Boukadida, Sara Zouiten & Yara Assaad
Editor: Sara Zouiten
