Photo by Fatima Lawel Bouzou, RET Niger, © RET International

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Every year, November 25 marks the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a global call to confront one of the most widespread human rights violations affecting women and girls everywhere. This day also opens the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (#16Days), a worldwide campaign uniting millions of people, organizations, and movements to demand change.

Running from November 25 to December 10, the campaign creates a bridge between the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) and the broader struggle for universal human rights –culminating on Human Rights Day. Across these 16 days, activists, institutions, and communities come together to raise awareness, strengthen prevention, challenge harmful norms, and advocate for safety, equality, and justice.

This year, we are proud to join the global community in raising our voice, amplifying local efforts, and standing with women and girls everywhere as we work to #EndGBV.

RET’s 2025 Campaign: Driving Awareness, Conversation, and Action

As a global organization working across Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe, we remain deeply committed to preventing violence, supporting survivors, and protecting the rights of women, youth, and vulnerable communities.

Throughout the #16Days, our teams across our country programs will share stories, host discussions, and elevate voices from the communities we work with. Many country offices are preparing in-person activities that reflect their local context and needs. For example, our team in Lebanon has already conducted a workshop raising awareness about women’s rights and ways to protect them.

And last year, we hosted 23 events across 6 cities in Türkiye, engaging 505 participants with events designed to educate, empower, and inspire action, making this year’s campaign a memorable success. In Mauritania, women gathered at the Mbera refugee camp to share their experiences and learn from each other in a discussion about GBV.

Our Digital Campaign: Join Us, Share Your Voice

This year, our global campaign will focus on one message: Only when we talk about GBV can we confront it. Silence allows violence to continue. Awareness disrupts it.

Across our social media platforms, we will share daily content featuring survivor-centered messages, prevention themes, youth voices, and highlights from across our country programs. Look for images like the one below.

We are asking our global community – from partners, supporters and volunteers to youth leaders, and friends – to join us online and help drive the conversation. You can support the campaign by:

• Liking, sharing, and commenting on our posts
• Using the hashtags #EndGBV, #16Days, and #OrangeTheWorld
• Amplifying messages that challenge violence, discrimination, and stigma
• Encouraging others to learn, reflect, and take action

Engagement matters. Every comment, share, or repost expands the movement. Every voice added challenges the culture of silence that so often surrounds GBV.

Photo by Margareth Solano, RET in Costa Rica, © RET International

A 25-Year Commitment: Education as Protection

This year’s #16Days campaign is especially meaningful as RET marks 25 years of service to youth, women, and vulnerable communities around the world. For a quarter century, we have worked to make education a promise, not a dream, for more than two million people across 35 countries.

Education is one of the strongest tools we have to prevent violence.

It builds awareness.

It strengthens resilience.

It creates opportunities.

It challenges harmful social norms.

And most importantly, it provides young people – especially girls – with the confidence, protection, and pathways they need to shape their own futures.

Our mission has always been deeply connected to the fight against gender-based violence. By supporting education, empowerment, and inclusion, we are helping build safer, more resilient, and more equitable communities.

Join Us This Year

As we begin the #16Days of Activism, we invite you to stand with us, raise your voice, and take part in this global movement. Ending gender-based violence is not the work of any single organization; it requires all of us, working together, speaking out, and pushing for change every day.

Follow our campaign on social media, engage with our content, and help us spread the message:
Violence is preventable. Awareness saves lives. Together, we can #EndGBV.

About RET International

RET International stands for Resilience, Empowerment, and Transformation. Since our founding, we have been committed to working in emergencies, protracted crises, and fragile contexts to alleviate the deepest suffering, build people’s resilience, and improve their self-reliance. We are one of the leading NGOs offering tailored solutions and relevant programs to bridge gaps and respond to the real needs and challenges of communities. We play a decisive catalytic role in sustainable development. Our goal is to bring about significant positive change that enables particularly vulnerable youth and young women to take charge of their lives and realize their social and economic rights. We support individuals, refugees, returnees, internally displaced persons, and host communities, embracing the fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence.

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