#16Days - SecurityWomen: Violence is not inevitable

SecurityWomen along with all the other participating organisations in the 16 Days of Activism Campaign chose the colour orange to heighten awareness of gender based violence and its impact on the health and safety of women and girls.

At SecurityWomen we strongly believe violence is not inevitable and can be prevented.
This particular campaign spans 16 days but violence against women and girls happens every day, all year round. 137 women around the world are killed by a member of their family each day.
It is our aim to continue to highlight the prevalence of violence and harassment against women and girls throughout the year, every year until we have stopped violence being a threat to their lives. Visit our website to read more about our Campaign

Gender equality is needed in all spheres of life never more so than in the security sector.
At SecurityWomen we know that better security for everyone can only be achieved if more women participate in policing and other security services.
More women in leadership and senior management roles are needed too, to bring about the necessary cultural change and for violence against women and girls to finally be prioritised.
In September Maggie Blyth, (the deputy chief constable of Hampshire police) was appointed into the new role of national police lead for violence against women and girls.
Maggie Blyth has acknowledged that trust between women and the police has been “broken through some of the tragic events of the last few weeks and months”.

Globally, fewer than 40% of women who experience violence seek help.
Transformative actions and substantial changes to the criminal justice system response are urgently needed. SecuityWomen will use its voice to advocate for reform in the security sector that will ultimately allow women and girls to live their lives unconstrained and free from fear.

Read more about how SecurityWomen is supporting the Campaign on the SecurityWomen website You can also follow our campaign on instagram