16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (25 November – 10 December 2023)

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence will take place from 25 November until 10 December. IANSA’s theme this year is “Take Action! Stop gender-based violence now.” Small arms and light weapons (SALW) are used to perpetrate or facilitate gender-based violence (GBV). GBV involves any act of violence targeting an individual on the basis of their gender. GBV encompasses violence against people based on their perceived or real sexual orientation, gender identity or expression and sexual characteristics. This campaign aims to raise awareness of the issue of GBV and urge government officials to take effective measures to address it.

IANSA calls upon all States, parliamentarians, civil society representatives, and other relevant stakeholders to mobilise and take action against gender-based armed violence. It is also an opportunity to start preparing for the Fourth Review Conference on the UN Programme of Action on SALW (RevCon4), which will take place 17-28 June 2024.

IANSA will focus on four key advocacy points for this year’s campaign.
We urge states to:

• Develop or strengthen existing gender-responsive arms control to account for the differential impacts of the SALW trade and misuse on men, women, girls, boys and gender-diverse persons;
• Strictly regulate the possession by civilians of SALW and implement legislation and programs to allow for the removal of firearms from homes in cases of gender-based and intimate partner violence;
• Develop and set national and regional targets in relation to gender-responsive arms control for the effective implementation of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms;
• Take targeted measures to ensure the full, meaningful, equal and effective participation of traditionally excluded or marginalised groups (including women, youth, survivors of armed violence and gender-diverse people) in policymaking and programming for effective arms control and disarmament.