16 Days of Action

Violence again women and girls is a national emergency in the UK.

Every year, the 16 days of action raises awareness for gender-based violence against women and girls (VAWG). Beginning on 25th November and concluding on 10th December, the campaign brings much-needed attention to the violence against women and girls that’s happening at all levels, and in all areas of our society. Domestic abuse is deep-rooted with this.

Domestic abuse is an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling behaviour towards another person. There are many different forms of domestic abuse, and it isn’t always physical or visible.

In the majority of cases, domestic abuse is experienced by women and perpetrated by men, which is what makes it a gendered crime. This is a consequence of women’s inequality in society.

Rising Sun has been working to end domestic abuse and gender-based violence for almost fifty years, but we can’t do it alone, we need your help. You can learn more about domestic abuse by signing up for free training (links below), share social media campaigns and learn about your local domestic abuse charities to know where to signpost people needing support.

Playing your part in ending domestic abuse, gender-based crime and violence against women and girls is essential for a few reasons:

• In the UK, a women is killed by a man every three days.
• 1 in 4 women will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime.
• 1 in 12 women will be a victim of domestic abuse this year alone.
• 2020 saw the highest number of women & girls killed in 20 years.
• Hundreds of women die by suicide every year because of domestic abuse.
• Disabled women are more than twice as likely to experience domestic abuse compared to non-disabled women.
• Black women experiencing domestic abuse are 14% less likely to be received into specialist domestic abuse support compared to white women.
• Domestic abuse costs the UK economy approximately £66 billion each year.
• LGBTQ+ women, trans people and non-binary people are at a heightened risk of intimate partner violence.
• 1 in 5 children in the UK are living in households where domestic abuse is happening.

This year, we have seen the UK Government begin to treat VAWG as the national emergency that it is. The UK Home Office announced Raneem’s Law, a new initiative from early 2025 which will see domestic abuse experts embedded in 999 control rooms to ensure that victims are treated with the urgency needed.

This is needed now more than ever as we continuously learn of more women and girls being killed. Whether it’s Laken Riley in Georgia, USA who was beaten to death while out for a run, Kiena Dawes who committed suicide after experiencing ongoing domestic abuse from her partner, Gisele Pelicot who was drugged by her husband and raped by fifty-one men, or the women in Afghanistan who have had their voices banned from being heard in public spaces.

Not enough is being done to protect women.

Here at Rising Sun, we continue to advocate for the safety of women and providing a safe space for victim-survivors of domestic abuse to be heard, believed and supported.

You are not alone. If you need support, get in touch today.