- add-style
- lp-body-content
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign observed from November 25 – the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women – through December 10, International Human Rights Day. During this period, individuals and organizations around the world—including the World Bank Group (WBG)—unite to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.
Violence against women and girls holds back human potential and economic growth
Violence against women and girls limits access to education, employment, and participation in public life—holding back human potential and economic growth. Globally, one in three women experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, and in fragile or conflict-affected settings that figure doubles. Digital and technology-facilitated abuse, a key theme for the UN in 2025, is also rising, affecting 16–58% of women.
The human and economic costs are profound. Intimate partner violence alone can drain 1.2–3.7% of GDP, more than many countries spend on education. Lost wages, absenteeism, and reduced productivity weaken families, communities, and economies alike.
Safety for women and girls expands opportunities for all and helps economies grow
Legal protection is essential to safety and equality. However, the World Bank’s Women Business and the Law reporthighlights some major gaps: 39 economies lack laws against sexual harassment in employment, 86 lack adequate domestic violence legislation protecting women from all forms of violence, and 139 have insufficient legal protections against child marriage.
Building safer, stronger societies and economies starts with ensuring that women and girls live free from violence. It starts in homes, workplaces, schools, and communities and requires the active participation of men and boys to help shape cultures and environments of equality and safety. Only with safety can economies grow and opportunities expand for all.
Ending gender-based violence and elevating women’s human capital is central to the World Bank Group’s approach
Ending gender-based violence and elevating women’s human capital is a key pillar of the World Bank Group’s 2024-2030 Gender Strategy. The World Bank Group has expanded operations to prevent and address gender-based violence ten-fold over the last decade, and continues to lead globally in generating knowledge and data to guide better policy and investment decisions for women’s and girls’ safety.
Today, nearly 90 World Bank projects in more than 60+ countries are helping prevent violence, support survivors, and strengthen protection systems. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group’s private sector arm, works with companies and financial institutions to create safer, more inclusive workplaces and markets.
Some examples include:
- Democratic Republic of Congo: The Gender-based Violence Prevention and Response Project has reached over 8 million people and provided holistic care to 79,000 survivors.
- Nigeria: The Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) has improved school safety and increased enrollment by 700,000 girls.
- Peru: Alegra Centers have provided free legal assistance to more than 1 million survivors.
- The World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law report has developed a standalone indicator on women’s safety helping to guide legal and policy reform efforts to address to improve safety for women and girls.
- IFC’s Empower Finance initiative works with financial institutions and regulators across Asia-Pacific to address financial abuse by redesigning financial products.
- IFC’s Respectful Workplaces Program has partnered with over 100 businesses to tackle gender-based violence, including bullying, sexual harassment, domestic violence, and exploitation in the workplace.
When women and girls are safe, societies and economies can grow and thrive. This 16 Days of Activism, join the call to build a world where every woman and girl can live free from violence, and reach her full potential.
Regional Stories
- Blog: Uniting Against Violence: How a Remote Municipality in Nepal is Laying the Foundation for a Survivor-centered GBV Response [SAR]
- Blog: Empowering Kenyan women key to unlocking inclusive growth [AFR]
- Blog: What’s holding back Mozambique’s full potential? The hidden cost of gender-based violence [AFR]
- Blog: From paper rights to protected girls: closing the legal gaps in Western & Central Africa [AFR]
- Blog: Transforming education in Nigeria: Katsina’s story of hope and renewal [AFR]
- Blog: Aminata’s path: How partnerships are making schools safer for girls in Sierra Leone [AFR]
- Blog: From harm to hope: legal solutions to end FGM and boost women’s empowerment in Liberia [AFR]
- Blog: What’s holding back Mozambique’s full potential? The hidden cost of gender-based violence [AFR]
- Blog: Breaking the Silence: How Rule Makers can End Gender-Based Violence in Western and Central Africa [AFR]
- Blog: Village Savings and Loans Associations support gender-based violence (GBV) survivors and empower vulnerable women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) [AFR]
- Blog: Gender-based violence affects 20% of women in ECA, costing countries billions of dollars in lost potential human capital each year [ECA]
- Blog: Addressing gender-based violence as a pathway for economic growth, inclusion, and prosperity in Türkiye [ECA]
- Feature Story: Gender-based Violence (GBV) Response Services in Ethiopia: Empowering Women and Girls in Conflict-Affected Areas [AFR]
- Opinion: Challenging Social Norms and Gender Stereotypes: Advancing Women’s Rights as a Catalyst for Economic Growth in Central Asia [ECA]
Private Sector Solutions
- Case Study: Weaving Respect into Workplace Culture and Impact in Viet Nam’s Garment Sector
- Report: Workplace Responses to Family & Sexual Violence in PNG : Measuring the Business Case
- Report: Business Case for Creating Respectful Workplaces in Sri Lanka
- Story: Women Forging New Futures in Papua New Guinea
Data, Research, and Evidence
- Data: The Persistent Challenge of Child Marriage: A Global Overview
- Blog: Awful but lawful: Confronting technology-facilitated gender-based violence
- Feature Story: Infrastructure that Works for Women
- Course: Safety First E-Course on Preventing Gender-Based Violence
- Data: Violence against women and girls – what the data tells us
- Data: Escaping gender-based violence
- Policy Note: Preventing and Addressing Gender-Based Violence
- Policy Brief: Policy brief on protecting women and girls from cyber harassment [PDF]
- Report: Online Violence against Young Female Workers [PDF]
- Blog: Is this a safe space? Women, Business and the Law introduces the new Safety indicator
- Blog: Femicide laws worldwide: 50 years of evolution and ongoing gaps
- Blog: Step up the Pace to #End FGM: Save lives and save economies
- Blog: How to avoid unintended consequences in intimate-partner violence prevention programs
- Blog: A threat to their future: Protecting girls from the consequences of child marriage
Women Forging New Futures in Papua New Guinea
Women comprise only 31 percent of the total employed population in Papua New Guinea. Addressing the challenges they face can foster economic growth and stronger communities.
To unlock this potential, IFC and the PNG Business Coalition for Women have partnered to support 19 businesses in adopting gender-inclusive policies.
Participating firms have developed concrete action plans contributing to better job quality and more opportunities for women in trades across PNG.
The World Bank Group estimates that closing the gender gap could boost PNG’s GDP by 20 percent.
Featured Resources
Topic: World Bank Gender
Strategy: WBG Gender Strategy (2024-30)
Thematic note: Addressing Gender-Based Violence to Accelerate Gender Equality
Joint Statement: Multilateral Development Banks United to End Violence Against Women
Topic: Women, Business and the Law: Women’s Safety
Report: Pathways to Prosperity for Adolescent Girls in Africa
Report: Retrospective on Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response in World Bank Operations
Data: The Persistent Challenge of Child Marriage: A Global Overview
