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
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
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2021 was the deadliest year ever for TGNCNB people in the US, according to the Human Rights Campaign
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From 2020 to 2021, reported bias incidents aimed at LGBTQ+ men in NYC increased by 154%
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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
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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
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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' 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.
Photo credit: Joseph Fagan, Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence
Photo credit: Coney Island Parachute Drop: Ryan Brown, Photographer/Photo Editor, UN Women
Photo credit: CGE
Photo credit: ENDGBV
The Race to End Child Marriage by 2030
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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