2009 Campaign Theme:
Commit • Act • Demand: We CAN End Violence Against Women and Children!

The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children is a United Nations campaign. It takes place annually from the 25th November (International Day of No Violence against Women) to the 10th December (International Human Rights Day).

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) at Rutgers University in 1991. Participants chose the dates, November 25, International Day Against Violence Against Women, and December 10, International Human Rights Day, in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a human rights violation.

Since 1999 the South African Government has run a parallel campaign that includes issues relating to violence against children. This campaign focuses primarily on generating an increased awareness of the negative impact of violence on women and children as well as society as a whole.

Each year since 1991, tens of thousands of activists from every region of the world have taken part in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign. The campaign’s central messages – women’s rights are human rights and violence against women constitutes a violation of human rights – have been a rallying call of the women’s movement. Recognizing that violence against women affects people from every country, race, class, culture, and religion, the 16 Days Campaign provides an opportunity for activists to work together in solidarity and draw upon this period of heightened international attention to gain support for their local efforts.

The Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) dedicates the 2009 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign to honoring groups and individuals who have committed to bringing VAW to the forefront of global attention, to encouraging everyone in their various capacities to take action to end VAW, and to demanding accountability for all of the promises made to eliminate VAW. Therefore, the 2009 theme is:

Commit • Act • Demand: We CAN End Violence Against Women and Children!

A two-day workshop was recently held in Pietermarizburg in order to provide a platform for clergy and LGBTI people to engage on issues of religion and sexuality.

The workshop, held on 15 and 16 May, was organized by IAM (Inclusive and Affirming Ministries) in partnership with the Gay and Lesbian Network, the KwaZulu Natal Christian Council and the Deo Gloria Family Church.

(San Francisco, California) Archbishop Desmond Tutu told an international LGBT human rights group that it has been impossible to keep quiet "when people were frequently hounded...vilified, molested and even killed as targets of homophobia...for something they did not choose-their sexual orientation."

Tutu was in San Francisco to receive the Outspoken award from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. The presentation was made as part of the organization's A Celebration of Courage human rights ceremony on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.

In his 30-minute address Tutu said that in the face of this ongoing persecution LGBT people were "compassionate, caring, self-sacrificing and refusing to be embittered."

(San Francisco, California) Same-sex marriage is at the top of the docket with the California Supreme Court resumes on Tuesday. If the court rules for gay and lesbian couples challenging the state California could be the second area in the US where same-sex marriage is legal.

The court has scheduled three hours for oral arguments. The justices then have 90 days to issue a ruling. That could mean a rush to marry in June, the traditional wedding month.