November 25, 2021

International Day to End Violence Against Women and Girls and the start of the #16daysofaction

No woman or girl should live-in fear of violence or abuse. Today, the 25^th November, is the International Day to End Violence Against Women and Girls and the start of the #16daysofaction. There are many ways you can get involved and become part of the solution.

#don’tbeabystander

We want to encourage members of the public to act when they see a woman or girl being abused, rather than being a bystander and taking no action.

It is everybody’s responsibility – men, women, girls and boys to take a stand and act. Here’s how Women’s Aid share how men can be part of the solution:

IDAS have shared some practical guidance on how to respond when you feel someone is at risk of abuse. There are three options if you see behaviour that is making someone feel uncomfortable. You could take

1. Direct intervention,
2. Distraction,
3. Delegation.

Distraction – You can cause a distraction by either shouting something, to try and interrupt without directly addressing what’s happening, or you could pretend to know the person being targeted and ignore the attacker.

Delegation – To delegate, find someone else in the vicinity to help, whether that’s the Police, security, or another bystander.  

Direct intervention – You can safely intervene directly if you see behaviour that is making someone feel uncomfortable by following these simple steps. Always consider your safety and the safety of the person being targeted. Call 999 if there is any danger.

1. Assess the situation. If there is a risk of injury or harm call the Police immediately.
2. Ask another person to support you while you intervene. Ask them to call the Police or record the situation. You can say, “I see what’s happening here and I think it’s wrong, could you help me by…”
3. Approach the person who is being targeted, ignore the attacker. You could say, “Hi! My name is___ I’m here to help you. Can I sit with you or stand with you? Would you like me to walk somewhere with you?”
4. Offer support.
5. Signpost into support services.

16 Days of Action

The 16 Days of Action is a global campaign which asks us all to stand together to end violence against women and girls. Over the next 16 days there are many ways you can be part of this.

Learn about 16 forms of abuse

Each day, you can find out about different types of abuse, listen to experts in the field and learn more about the impact of domestic abuse on survivors here

Share your story

If you have a survivor story you would like to share, IDAS would love to hear from you

Listen to survivor stories

You can also listen to the powerful survivors’ stories which help to expose the day-to-day experience of living with violence and abuse and help those who isolated, afraid and not sure where to turn for help and support.

Support in Sheffield

To get support in Sheffield contact our specialist domestic abuse helpline, where you can share your experience and work through which services might work best for you. The helpline is now available 7 days a week. Phone 0808 808 2241; Monday – Friday : 8am – 8pm , Saturday, Sunday & Bank Holidays 11am – 8pm. Outside of these hours call the National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

Alternatively for the full list of support including access to safe accommodation and refuge follow this link

16 days of activities

Each day you can get involved (see PDF here or image below), see how you can share posts, pledge your palm, have domestic and sexual abuse training, become a volunteer and consider being a champion in your community or workplace