November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women launching the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, we are reminded that the work to end violence against women and girls is urgent and ongoing.

From November 25 to Human Rights Day on December 10th, the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international movement uniting people worldwide in the call to end all forms of gender-based violence.

In Canada, the 16 Days includes December 6th – the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women where we remember and honour 14 women who in 1989 were killed through an act of violent misogyny and we recommit to centring the voices of survivors in our all our actions.

At BWSS, we responded to over 52,000 requests for service last year—each number has a face and is a call to action.

After 45 years of making waves to end violence against women, at BWSS we continue highlighting that gender-based violence is an epidemic and endemic, so thank you so much for your support as we stay on the frontline.

During the #16DaysofActivism, please take action with us. So stay connected on our social media, media and email as we share information, resources and ways to participate in ending violence against women and gender-based violence.

Here’s is a some of what we will be covering with more details on our website:

Why Gender-based Violence is a Social Issue?
Gender-based violence is a social issue and GBV is a collective term for a range of abusive behaviours, systemic issues, and experiences that disproportionately affect women and girls including trans women. The term includes multiple forms of violence—physical, emotional, economic, cultural—and its acknowledgment of the lifelong, systemic nature of this social problem.

In 2018, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women criticized Canada’s gender-based violence response as fragmented and lacking a comprehensive, human rights-based framework. Despite decades of critique, systemic issues persist across governments, with little progress. For example, Canada remains one of only two countries that have yet to ratify the 1994 Belém do Pará Convention, (https://www.bwss.org/canada-must-ratify-the-belem-do-para-convention/aimed) at eradicating violence against women.

In Canada, 44% of women or 6.2 million women aged 15 and older have reported some kind of abuse in their intimate partner relationship.

Intimate partner and domestic violence persists and evolves throughout a woman or girl’s life, reflecting broader systems of power and control that disproportionately impact women and girls.

The pandemic has intensified the crisis and clawed back advancements we thought we had made up to 2019. Femicides have increased by 20% since 2019, with 94% of cases in 2024 involving male perpetrators—a rise from 89% in 2023. Disproportionately impacted groups include Indigenous, Black, and racialized women; women in rural, remote, and Northern regions; and other marginalized communities.

Global Context
The term “femicide” gained prominence through feminist movements that sought to draw attention to the systemic nature of violence against women. It underscores the fact that these killings are not isolated or random but are part of broader societal patterns of misogyny and inequality.

Why Femicide Matters
Understanding femicide as a specific phenomenon is crucial for addressing gender-based violence. It highlights the need for systemic interventions, including:

• Stronger legal protections and justice for victims.
• Intersectional prevention strategies that address the root causes of gendered violence.
• Support systems for survivors of violence and those at risk.

Recognizing and naming femicide is a step toward accountability and ensuring that women and girls live free from the threat of violence simply because of their gender.

Seven-Year Trends
The situation in British Columbia underscores the urgency for action. From 2018 to 2024, 145 women and girls were killed: 

• 66% of these killings involved male perpetrators where the accused was identified.
• 45% were perpetrated by current or former male partners.

Annual Breakdown & Intimate Partner Violence
In 2024, 18 women and girls have been killed, with 92% of identified perpetrators being male.

Intimate partner violence is a factor in 50% of killings in 2024, an increase over past years.

Names and Faces Behind the Statistics
As we honour every woman and girl killed in BC in 2024, we know that in many cases, victims remain nameless and faceless due to police withholding names, ostensibly for family privacy. This practice diminishes public awareness and perpetuates the invisibility of the killings.

Also, we know that for every woman or girl that is killed, thousands more live in fear that they will be further harmed. So we stay on the frontline as advocates to walk alongside every victim and bearing witness to some of the very worst that humans can do to other humans.

Our two-day conference is SOLD OUT and will address the key challenges and solutions for taking action on violence against women, girls, and gender-diverse people.

On November 25, 2024, we mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women with a press conference addressing the interconnected crises of housing precarity, sexualized violence, intimate partner violence, and femicide.

Speakers will include:

• Indigenous women taking action on MMIWG and calls for justice.

• Advocates from Indigenous organizations, sexual assault centres, anti-violence organizations, women’s shelters, and housing networks.

• Policy experts and community leaders presenting solutions to reduce housing precarity, prevent violence, and support survivors.

Invisible homelessness, often overlooked, is the reality for many women who have been forced to sleep in their cars or return to dangerous situations to survive. 

BWSS has generated and will share concrete solutions for housing and safety for victims of intimate, domestic and sexualized violence.

For 45 years, we have been making waves on the frontlines, and now we are asking you to take action with us. 

From November 25 – December 10, BWSS is your place for taking action on violence against women and gender-based violence for the #16DaysofActivism.

We need your support to bring safety to survivors of violence. 

Take action today by donating and sharing our resources to raise awareness. Together, we can bring safety and take action to end gender-based violence.