Supporting the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence campaign

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence campaign is an annual international movement running from 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) to 10 December (Human Rights Day). Public Health Scotland (PHS) is supporting this important campaign, which aims to raise awareness, promote advocacy and inspire action to end violence against women and girls worldwide.

PHS continues to lead and support workforce development in local NHS Boards and develop links across all areas of public health. We are implementing a public health approach to tackling violence against women and girls both nationally and locally across the public sector.

In Scotland, this year’s campaign is closely linked to the updated Equally Safe Strategy, published in 2023, which is the national approach to preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls. Equally Safe sets out the Scottish Government and COSLA’s plans to adopt a public health approach to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), setting out a vision where women and girls can live free from violence, abuse and discrimination and focusing on preventing VAWG before it occurs.

The Equally Safe Delivery Plan, published in August 2024, sets out collaborative actions for each sector such as third, statutory and academic sectors, to deliver to progress the Equally Safe Strategy.

In line with this collaborative strategy, the theme of this year’s 16 days of Activism is ‘Imagine a Scotland without violence against women and girls.'

Ruth Glassborow, Director of Population Health and Wellbeing at PHS said:
“PHS continues to play a key role in leading public health action for the eradication of Gender-based Violence and to improve the health and wellbeing of victim/survivors of abuse.

“Building on the work we have done with NHS boards and other partners, we have published a guide to the public health approach in relation to VAWG and are actively working with a range of partners to take this forward.”

Read the guide to a public health approach to tackling violence against women and girls here: What we are doing - Ending violence against women and girls: A public health approach - Gender-based violence - Equity and justice - Social and economic impacts on health - Population health - Public Health Scotland

Read about the links between violence against women and girls and the six public health priorities.

Find out more about the Equally Safe at Work employer accreditation programme.

For more information on the 2024 campaign, visit the Improvement Service website.