Empowering Change: Highlights from WDN’s Sixth Annual 10 Days of Activism Global Advocacy Campaign
The Women’s Democracy Network (WDN) strives to equip our members with resources and tools to combat violence against women and girls year-round. In November 2024, WDN’s Country Chapters and regional networks participated in the United Nations’ 16 Days of Activism Campaign, hosting virtual dialogues on topics including online violence against women and girls and violence against women in politics. In support of the UN’s campaign, WDN hosts its annual 10 Days of Activism Global Advocacy Campaign each June, igniting a year-round commitment to combating violence against women and girls and empowering women worldwide. This year, WDN held its sixth annual 10 Days of Activism Global Advocacy Campaign from June 17-26, 2024, uniting WDN members, advocates and leaders worldwide to raise awareness about violence against women and girls in their communities and amplify eradication efforts.
In this campaign, WDN developed a social media toolkit that was posted over 300 times and garnered over 39,000 engagements across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X. To ensure members from more countries and regions could participate, WDN produced the toolkit in nine languages—Arabic, Albanian, Bahasa Indonesia, English, French, Nepali, Portuguese, Spanish, and Ukrainian—breaking down language barriers and fostering cross-regional engagement barriers and fostering cross-regional engagement.
| Platform | Number of Engagements |
|---|---|
| 10,362 | |
| 856 | |
| 70 | |
| X | 28,427 |
| Total Number of Engagements | 39,715 |
WDN’s Partners in Kosovo, Mexico and Nepal Advance Efforts
This year, WDN partnered with local organizations in Kosovo, Mexico and Nepal to host in-person events on violence against women, for a total of 159 participants.
Tackling Online Violence: Digital Security Training in the Balkans
As the digital landscape expands, so does the concern for the safety and privacy of women and girls online. The Balkans are witnessing a rise in online violence, threatening women and girls’ safe access to the digital world. The upcoming February 2025 parliamentary elections in Kosovo bring a renewed sense of purpose in addressing this issue to support women’s safe participation in political life. WDN partnered with Assist Kosovo to equip men and women with innovative strategies and practical tools to combat online violence, including effective reporting mechanisms. The workshop was a learning opportunity for women and allies to gain insights into participating safely online to remain actively engaged in civic and political spheres.
Uniting Against Political Violence: Supporting Women Politicians in Mexico
Despite Mexico’s institutional efforts to eradicate violence against women and girls in recent years, the issue has been growing significantly across the country. To address this, WDN partnered with Fundación Grandeza de las Mujeres Mexicanas, A.C. and Instituto Electoral del Estado de Querétaro to host a dialogue bringing together candidates and elected officials from the 2023-2024 local elections to discuss their experiences with political violence. Candidates and officials bonded over shared challenges during their candidacies and agreed to work together to find solutions to eradicate violence against women in politics and support women electoral candidates.
Breaking the Silence: An Exchange on Justice in Nepal
Despite Nepal’s existing legal protections for women experiencing violence, activists are calling attention to a continuing culture of impunity. WDN partnered with Himal Innovative Development and Research for a dialogue on recent decisions of the Nepali Supreme Court, shedding light on institutional actions that have reinforced the status quo. Participants acknowledged the dialogue’s significance as a grassroots foundation for raising societal awareness and a pivotal step toward fostering intergenerational and whole-of-society efforts to promote the protection and empowerment of women.
Additional Highlights
- The Arab Women’s Leadership Institute (AWLI) led a dialogue on establishing safe spaces for women and girls, including the creation of shelters, with participants committing to implementing lessons learned to enhance the safety and protection of women in their communities.
- As a result of WDN-Africa’s dialogue on various forms of gender-based violence and its intergenerational impact on women, WDN-Africa launched a member-driven dialogue series on multiple topics related to violence against women and women’s empowerment, including adopting and implementing policies ending violence against women in politics.
- WDN Latin America and the Caribbean (WDN-LAC) held a dialogue on existing advocacy efforts and strategies to eradicate violence against women and girls, like introducing legislation to combat newer forms of violence, including digital violence, and enhancing collaboration among political parties and civil society to implement protective measures effectively.
- WDN partnered with Red Dot Foundation Global to host a two-part training on data collection and analysis for the WDN global network to provide civic and political leaders with the technical skills and tools to drive evidence-based solutions and foster greater stakeholder collaboration.