The 25th of November 2025 marks the first day of 16 Days of Activism. This annual international campaign aims to raise awareness of and galvanise support to end violence against women and girls. The campaign runs until the 10th of December – Human Rights Day.
This year, the focus for 16 Days of Activism is ‘UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls’. Digital violence is one of the fastest-growing forms of abuse and continues to evolve daily. From the manosphere, online bullying, stalking, and beyond, there are many forms of digital violence that are not yet adequately regulated by tech platforms and social networking sites.
Digital violence disproportionately affects women, causing harm that can be long-lasting, and worryingly, acts of abuse that occur online can often lead to violence in real life.
Over the next 16 days, we will be working with our partners to provide insight into what digital violence is, how to ensure your safety online as well as highlighting the positive progress being made in the sector to keep women and girls safe.
The 25th of November is also White Ribbon Day – an internationally acknowledged day which first began in Canada after the Montreal Massacre in 1989, where 14 women were murdered. The day is dedicated to promoting male allyship and raising awareness of gender-based violence against women and girls.
The theme for White Ribbon Day 2025 is ‘We Speak Up’, encouraging men to call out sexist jokes, catcalling, staring, and comments might seem harmless, but are in fact serious and dangerous because they can escalate.
Follow us on social media to stay updated throughout 16 Days of Activism @LeedsWomensAid.
Learn more about White Ribbon Day and 16 Days of Activism via the links below:
https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/wespeakup
https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/unite/theme