WAVE 16 Days of Activism

From 25 November to 10 December 2025, WAVE Network marks the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence with a Europe-wide awareness campaign highlighting the systems, services, and frameworks that protect survivors of violence against women and girls.

This year’s campaign focuses on making these structures more accessible and understandable to wider audiences, while drawing attention to the persistent gaps that continue to limit protection and support across Europe.

Throughout the 16 days, WAVE will share daily content across its platforms, including clear explainers on key frameworks such as the Istanbul Convention and the EU Directive on Violence Against Women, insights from the upcoming WAVE Country Report 2025, and thematic discussions on issues including technology-facilitated violence, primary prevention, migrant and refugee women’s experiences, and intersectional inequalities such as forced marriage and marital captivity.

Youth perspectives are central to this year’s campaign, with contributions from WAVE Youth Ambassadors and findings from their work on technology-facilitated violence.

A key message runs throughout the campaign: women’s specialist services demonstrate every day that safety and recovery are possible, but require sustainable, long-term funding to continue their work.

The campaign begins on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and concludes on 10 December, International Human Rights Day.

Follow the campaign across WAVE’s platforms to stay informed, engage with daily content, and support advocacy for accessible, survivor-centred services across Europe.