Stronger Together: 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign is a global initiative aimed at raising awareness and mobilising efforts to end one of the most persistent and widespread human rights violations in the world. This year, particular emphasis is placed on a rapidly growing and increasingly dangerous form of abuse—digital violence—which affects women and girls in online spaces.

Gender-based violence continues to affect millions of women and girls across all regions worldwide. According to global data, one in three women or girls experiences physical or sexual violence during her lifetime, and approximately 316 million women have endured violence by an intimate partner in the past year alone. As digital technologies have become an integral part of education, work, and public life, forms of violence have expanded beyond physical spaces. Between 16 and 58 per cent of women globally have experienced digital violence, including online harassment, threats, the non-consensual sharing of personal images, and other forms of abuse. Among women journalists, the scale of the problem is particularly alarming: 73 per cent report experiencing online violence, placing their safety, dignity, and freedom of expression at risk.

These figures clearly show that digital violence is not an abstract or “virtual” phenomenon, but a real form of violence with serious consequences for women’s lives, mental health, and participation in public life. Ending all forms of violence against women and girls is a key objective of Sustainable Development Goal 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. This goal calls for the elimination of violence in both public and private spheres, including violence enabled through digital technologies.

As societies and education systems increasingly move online, ensuring safety, dignity, and equal access in digital spaces has become a development priority. Progress towards SDG 5 is crucial for a sustainable future, as no society can be inclusive, innovative, or resilient while women and girls continue to face violence, discrimination, and exclusion from education, the digital economy, and public life. Safe digital environments are therefore essential to long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability.

Within these global efforts, the Central Asian University SDG Innovation Lab stands in solidarity with the 16 Days of Activism campaign, contributing to awareness-raising and the promotion of gender equality through education, research, and community engagement. Creating safe, inclusive, and sustainable environments requires collective responsibility. During the campaign and beyond, students, faculty, and partners are called upon to speak out against violence, support survivors, and advance gender equality in all spaces—both offline and online. Only by working together can we contribute to building a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future.