As the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence approach, it is a good time to reflect on milestones in fighting against the vice, but to also examine why it is nowhere near elimination despite countless efforts.

The 16 Days of Activism is an international campaign initiated by activists at the Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991. Starting on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, will conclude on December 10, coincinding with the Human Rights Day.

The campain which is observed in Rwanda and elsewhere in the world annually, serves as a key moment to call for an end to violence against women and girls.

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Even after countless efforts by the Rwandan Government and the feminist community, among other activists, gender-based violence continues to be a major challenge, especially targeting women and girls. The most prevalent violence targeting women includes Intimate Partner Violence, which encompasses physical, sexual, and emotional abuse within a romantic relationship. It also includes sexual violence, where rape, sexual assault, and other forms of unwanted sexual contact.

Gender-based violence takes many forms and often occurs in combination, and women from all socioeconomic backgrounds and cultures are affected by it.

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We cannot let this vice ruin our communities, as the effects are long-lasting to the victim or survivor, but also to the community as large in one way or another. We must get up and ensure that all of us have played our role to eliminate it.

It may be standing up for someone who clearly looks vulnerable, giving information to authorities, or even educating children and others who may not know what gender-based violence is.

We should fight gender-based violence every single day, and not just in the 16 Days of Activism. However, it is a good time to reflect and see how we can completely eradicate it.