How India’s fight against gender violence has evolved through the 16 Days campaign

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, observed globally from November 25 to December 10 every year, has grown from a small-scale feminist initiative at New Jersey’s Rutgers University in 1991 into one of the most well-known international campaigns for women’s safety and human rights. 

That year, global women’s rights advocates decided it was time to connect the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25 November) with Human Rights Day (10 December to reinforce the truth that gender-based violence is a fundamental violation of freedom and dignity.

Over the years, the campaign has been adopted by the United Nations, various governments, health agencies, and tens of thousands of civil society groups across more than 180 countries. Its focus has widened from domestic violence to workplace harassment, technology-facilitated violence, conflict-related abuse, LGBTQIA+ rights, and community-level violence.

India began engaging with the movement in the mid-1990s through a few women’s groups, crisis centres, campus collectives, and human-rights organisations in major cities. These include groups such as Jagori, Society for Health Alternatives, Sakhi, All India Democratic Women’s Association, Oxfam India, and legal-aid collectives. 

By the early 2000s, several state Women & Child Development departments and police units began conducting awareness drives, helpline campaigns, and training sessions for frontline workers during the campaign period.

During the 16 Days of Activism in 2021, the Centre for Social Research (CSR) ran a nationwide digital campaign titled #EndViolenceAgainstWomenNOW, aligned with the UN theme that year (Orange the World: End Violence Against Women Now). The initiative highlighted the everyday threats women face and invited women themselves to share solutions based on their lived experiences. 

CSR produced content with counsellors, lawyers, human-rights activists, healthcare experts and government advisors, offering both analysis and recommendations. Using its social-media channels, it reached close to 1 million followers directly to push for practical strategies to combat gender-based violence.

In recent years, Delhi Police, Kerala’s Kudumbashree network, Maharashtra’s Department of Women and Child Development and district-level police units across states have been regularly running campaigns on helplines, cyber-safety and PoSH compliance during the 16 Days. 

Incidents that reiterated the need for women’s safety

Several incidents in the country have exposed the gaps in women’s safety and reiterated the need for strict measures, which the 16 Days campaign highlights every year. 

The 2012 Delhi gang rape sparked nationwide protests and led directly to the Justice J.S. Verma Committee report and the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013. In the years that followed, India strengthened its anti-trafficking measures, introduced the PoSH Act, made Internal Committees mandatory, expanded helplines, and created fast-track courts for sexual-violence cases.

India’s #MeToo movement (2017–2019) saw thousands of women across media, film, academia, the corporate world, and the development sector publicly speaking about harassment and abuse. The movement triggered internal inquiries, removal of influential men from leadership roles, greater scrutiny of PoSH compliance, and wider recognition of how institutional silence around abuse operates.

Universities, youth groups and mobility researchers also showed how harassment in public transport, campuses and streets limits women’s mobility, disrupts education, and affects their workforce participation.

Later, the COVID-19 pandemic helped understand violence against women better. 

Reports from the National Commission for Women (NCW), United Nations Population Fund, and World Health Organization showed a sharp rise in domestic abuse during the lockdown. Complaints registered with NCW almost doubled from 2,960 in 2019 to 5,297 in 2020, recording one of the highest spikes on record. 

The pandemic also triggered a surge in online violence: blackmail, stalking, harassment and intimate-image abuse. Studies such as Equality Now’s 2024 report documented the escalating digital harms faced by women and adolescents during this period. In response, the Ministry of Women and Child Development expanded digital tools like SHe-Box and Women Help Desks. The 16 Days campaign also began to emphasise cyber-safety. 

Interventions leading up to the 16 Days campaign this year

There have been a lot of reforms and campaigns this year with respect to violence against women and women’s safety. 

In June, the Kerala government formed a special cell to handle domestic violence complaints. 

The same month, the Centre’s Ministry of Women and Child Development held a cyber security awareness workshop in Delhi to strengthen digital safety across its governance systems. And in July, it announced its aim to expand its cybersecurity awareness efforts to frontline workers, including anganwadi and other community staff. 

Around the same time, Delhi Police held cyber-safety and helpline drives. In August, the National Commission for Women ran its ‘Safe Homes, Safe Tech’ campaign. 

This year, Nagaland’s Department of Social Welfare launched the 16 Days of Activism campaign early, rolling out district-wide programmes across the state and inaugurating a Gender Resource Centre in Kohima, led by advisor Wangpang Konyak. 

Marking the 16 Days campaign, in Tamil Nadu, the Centre for Women's Development and Research, along with a network of 55 nonprofits, announced a campaign this month, focusing on digital violence and cyber-harassment.  

Recently, UN India announced its 2025 theme: Every Ten Minutes, a Woman is Killed. #NoExcuse, placing the spotlight on femicide and systemic violence. 

UN India’s campaigns focus on issues such as femicide, partner violence, and digital safety. 

This year’s campaign by the World Health Organization – South-East Asia Regional Office focuses on strengthening the health sector’s response to gender-based violence, while the Centre for Equity and Inclusion (CEQUIN India) has announced multi-city workshops on digital safety, adolescent leadership, and community awareness. 

The 16 Days of Activism in India is more than just an annual campaign. After three decades, it has become a moment to remind us that there’s a lot of work to be done in ending gender-based violence. 

As violence now occurs at home, in public spaces, and online too, the movement’s aim has evolved from raising awareness to demanding accountability, action and long-term reform.