The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an annual campaign from November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, to December 10, Human Rights Day. Since its founding in 1991, the campaign has become an international movement to prevent and eliminate gender-based violence (GBV).

The Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV) and the New York City (NYC) Commission on Gender Equity (CGE), which sits under the Mayor's Office of Equity & Racial Justice (MOERJ), co-lead the NYC campaign in collaboration with partner organizations and city agencies.

The campaign recognizes how multiple forms of discrimination overlap, and calls to end GBV against all people, regardless of age, ethnicity, race, faith, gender identity, gender expression, immigration status, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status, among other protected classes.

What is Gender-Based Violence (GBV)?

GBV can impact anyone. GBV can include domestic, intimate partner, teen dating, and family violence, elder abuse, sexual violence, stalking, and human trafficking. Learn more about gender-based violence.

Download the Campaign Toolkit

Cover page of the 16 Days campaign toolkit. Text reads: 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence toolkit. 16 Days logo, Commission on Gender Equity logo, Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence logo, Mayor’s Office of Equity & Racial Justice logo.


Download this year's Campaign Toolkit. The toolkit has information on GBV, what it looks like, who it impacts, and how to take action to prevent it in New York City.

Additional languages: Arabic: عربى | Bengali: বাঙালি | Simplified Chinese: 简体中文 | Traditional Chinese: 正體字 | French: français | Haitian Creole: kreyòl ayisyen | Korean: 한국어 | Polish: polski | Russian: русский | Spanish: espanol | Urdu: اردو

Featured Campaign Posts

Share this information via social media using these downloadable social media graphics. These posts are evergreen and can be shared year-round. Follow these hashtags for a look back at the campaign online: #NYCAgainstGBV #OrangeTheWorld

  • Two illustrated people stand on either side of a seated person. Text reads: 2021 was the deadliest year ever for TGNCNB people in the U.S.

    2021 was the deadliest year ever for TGNCNB people in the US, according to the Human Rights Campaign

  • Two illustrated people, one in a wheelchair and another person standing. Text reads: From 2020 to 2021, reported bias incidents aimed at LGBTQ+ men in NYC increased by 154%.

    From 2020 to 2021, reported bias incidents aimed at LGBTQ+ men in NYC increased by 154%

  • Line art of NYC skyline. Text reads: In 2020-2021, women in NYC were 3 times more likely than men to be victims of an attack by an intimate partner that was reported to the NYPD.

    In 2021, women in NYC were almost three times more likely than men to be a victim of an attack reported to the NYPD by an intimate partner

  • Illustrated hand with the trans flag on the palm. Text reads: A 2017 survey found that 70% of TGNCNB New Yorkers said they had been denied equal treatment or services or had been verbally or physically harassed in public.

    A 2017 survey found that 70% of TGNCNB New Yorkers said they had been denied equal treatment for services or had been verbally/physically harassed in public

  • Bar graph with two bars. First bar is almost two times longer than the second bar. Text reads: From 2010 to 2021, Black and Hispanic women made up 57% of fatalities caused by intimate partners in NYC but accounted for only 28% of the population.

    From 2010 to 2021, Black and Hispanic women made up 57% of fatalities caused by intimate partners in NYC, while accounting for 28% of the overall population

Resources for Survivors

Help is available.

  • Call 311 to be connected to the nearest NYC Family Justice Center (Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
  • Find resources and support in NYC by searching the city's NYCHope Resource Directory.
  • Call the city's 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-621-HOPE (4673) for immediate safety planning, shelter assistance, and other resources. TTY: 800-810-7444

Recap of 2023 Campaign Activities and Events

During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, city agencies, non-profits, the faith-based community, business associations, and theater companies hosted events that addressed intersecting issues within GBV.

NYC Go Orange Day

'NYC Go Orange Day' invited all New Yorkers to spread awareness about GBV by wearing the campaign color orange, taking photos, and spreading the word on social media using hashtags #NYCAgainstGBV and #OrangeTheWorld. City Hall and other iconic NYC buildings were lit orange to raise awareness of GBV, and to signal to survivors that the city is here to support them. Learn more by reading the press release.

NYC City Hall and One World Trade Center lit up orange for NYC Go Orange Day on November 27, 2023, to raise awareness about the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

Photo credit: Joseph Fagan, Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence

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Photo credit: Coney Island Parachute Drop: Ryan Brown, Photographer/Photo Editor, UN Women

NYC Commission on Gender Equity staff wear orange on November 27, 2023, for NYC Go Orange Day to raise awareness about the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

Photo credit: CGE

NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence wear orange on November 27, 2023, for NYC Go Orange Day to raise awareness about the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

Photo credit: ENDGBV

The Race to End Child Marriage by 2030

Event flyer for the November 30, 2023, Episcopal Diocese of New York Task Force on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, and Episcopal Relief & Development event entitled Gender-Based Violence Spotlight: The Race to End Child Marriage by 2023. The Episcopal Diocese of New York Taskforce on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and Episcopal Relief & Development hosted a virtual discussion on the widespread practice of child marriage. According to data from UNICEF, the total number of girls married in childhood is estimated at 12 million a year. History shows that women who enter marriage as children frequently suffer from physical and mental trauma. This conversation was led by a faith-based organization and discussed how the church can support vulnerable and marginalized groups in our communities and help bring an end to child marriage.

Introduction to Domestic and Gender-Based Violence

NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence event flyer for a December 1, 2023, training titled Introduction to Domestic and Gender-Based Violence. The Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV) hosted a training to discuss different types of domestic and gender-based violence and help participants better understand how biases and systemic oppression impact survivors. The presentation also concentrated on the best ways to support someone who is experiencing domestic and gender-based violence.

Addressing Violence Against the Trans and Gender Expansive Community

Event flyer for December 6, 2023, virtual panel as part of the 16 Days campaign titled Addressing Violence Against the Trans and Gender Expansive Community. The NYC Commission on Gender Equity hosted a virtual conversation to discuss the various forms of gender-based systemic violence faced by the transgender and gender expansive community. The panel also looked at barriers to gender-affirming care, employment opportunities, and safe housing. Panelists discussed the roots of anti-trans and gender expansive rhetoric and legislation, and the need for more data and research to combat hate and discrimination. The conversation also uplifted current activism and NYC resources to support the trans and gender expansive community and ways to be effective allies. Watch the recording of the virtual panel.


Dotzz Tech Talk Series: Technology at the Intersection of Gender-Based Violence

Event flyer for a December 6, 2023, panel discussion hosted by Communitas America, HeyGround Harlem! titled Above the Mezzanine: Technology of the Intersection of Gender Based Violence. Communitas America, HeyGround Harlem! hosted a tech talk series to allow practitioners and technologists to explore what service-oriented technology is under development, and what might be created to close the gap 'above the mezzanine' of current GBV service delivery.

Queeribbean Crossings: Building Communities of Care

Event flyer for December 7, 2023, Queeribbean Crossings: Building Communities of Care event hosted by the Caribbean Equality Project. Caribbean Equality Project in partnership with the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium hosted their annual conference at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. The conference centered the intersections of cross-racial solidarity and racialized violence with themes of liberation, intimate partner violence, immigration, trans equity, and other issues impacting Black, Asian, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ Caribbean communities.

2023 Outreach Recap

LinkNYC Kiosks

Link NYC kiosk displays information on local resources in Spanish for the 2023 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign. Link NYC kiosk displays information on local community-based organizations for the 2023 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

ENDGBV partnered with LinkNYC to feature in-kind advertisements on its network of 2,000 Links from local GBV-services providers across New York City. This campaign promoted survivor resources from the city’s network of community-based GBV-services providers and highlighted local resources.

Photo credit: Kiosks (left side): Maria Mondejar, VIP Mujeres - (right side) Scott Hess, Barrier Free Living

Not On My Watch, Inc. “Women Empowered” Support Group

Event flyer for a Women Empowered Support Group held on November 28, 2023, by Bronx organization Not on My Watch, Inc.NYC Commission on Gender Equity staff member presents to a group of women.

Photo credit: CGE

CGE staff attended and shared 16 Days campaign materials to a “Women Empowered” Support Group hosted by Not on my Watch, Inc. The event was held in the Bronx.

Outreach in Flatbush

NYC Commission on Gender Equity staff giving out the 16 Days toolkit to community member on a sidewalk in Flatbush, Brooklyn. CGE and ENDGBV teams did outreach in Flatbush, Brooklyn. The teams also distributed flyers at neighborhood businesses and organizations.

Photo credit: CGE

Queeribbean Crossings: Building Communities of Care

Event Attendees to the Queeribbean Crossings Conference at The Center on December 7, 2023, seated at tables facing large screen. CGE and ENDGBV teams tabled at the Queeribbean Crossing conference on December 7. The Caribbean Equality Project and the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium organized the conference hosted at The Center in Manhattan.

Photo credit: CGE

KAFSC Youth Meeting

NYC Commission on Gender Equity staff stands next to TV with 16 Days information presenting to a youth group on December 8, 2023. CGE’s outreach team was invited to give a presentation on the 16 Days campaign and gender-based violence at the KAFSC Youth Council meeting hosted by the Korean American Family Service Center. This event took place in Flushing, Queens.

Photo credit: Heather Choi, Korean American Family Service Center