Addressing Gender-Based Violence: 16 Days of Activism

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign from 25 November to 10 December where individuals and organizations around the world call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls and other forms of violence based on gender.

Gender-based violence (GBV) affects more than 1 in 3 women over the course of a lifetime. Violence against women and girls has a significant toll not just on their wellbeing but also on their families across generations and societies more broadly. In some countries, violence against women is estimated to cost countries up to 3.7% of their GDP.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of violence against women increased, making sustained action to address drivers and consequences of violence a dire need.

Source: World Bank Gender Data Portal.

GBV is a major barrier to building human capital. GBV has far-reaching negative implications for survivors, their families, and society as a whole. GBV is linked to negative health consequences for survivors, including injuries, mental health problems, a higher rate of substance abuse, and poorer sexual and reproductive health outcomes.

The good news is that we know that GBV is preventable, and the evidence shows that changing social norms is key. Preventing GBV requires holistic, multi-sectoral approaches that seek to address violence and change social norms and attitudes at all levels of society.

The report, Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response in World Bank Operations: Taking Stock After a Decade of Engagement, distills lessons drawn from the last 10 years of work and goes into depth on some of the most promising operational examples across regions. Over the past decade, the World Bank has brought the gender-based violence prevention and response agenda to the forefront of our policy discussions with key actors, such as ministries of finance, education, health, transport, and social affairs – drawing on global knowledge as well as insights from wide-ranging consultations with stakeholders such as local women’s groups. We help to address gender-based violence in fragile and low-income countries – gleaning evidence on what works to prevent GBV through our Gender Innovation Labs and the Development Impact Evaluations.

The World Bank Group Gender Strategy 2024-2030 proposes innovations, financing, and collective action to end gender-based violence. The ongoing consultations on the strategy with a wide spectrum of stakeholders – civil society organizations, women and men in communities, governments, partner agencies, the private sector, and academia – will explore how we can work together at scale to address different forms of gender-based violence, as well as address the other strategic objectives of the Strategy – expand and enable economic opportunities for all and engage women as leaders.