16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence: Building resilience through engagement
November 21, 2025 – Defence Stories
Estimated read time – 3:15
The following information may bring up difficult emotions. If you or someone you know needs support, please do not hesitate to reach out to the SMSRC’s 24/7 Response and Support Line at 1-844-750-1648 where you can speak with a counsellor.
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is an international campaign that encourages people around the world to unite and take action to prevent and end GBV. GBV can take many forms, including physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, and financial abuse, as well as stalking, harassment, and technology-facilitated violence.
The campaign begins on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on December 10, recognized as Human Rights Day. The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women is also observed in Canada to remember the 14 women who were murdered during a mass shooting at Polytechnique Montréal on December 6, 1989.
You are invited to take a moment during the 16 Days of Activism campaign to reflect on ways to help end GBV. Whether it is committed against partners, family members, friends, colleagues, or strangers, GBV has no place in our society or in the Defence Team.
The negative effects of GBV can reach far beyond victims and survivors who may carry personal trauma: GBV can have a domino effect on household members, loved ones, neighbours, and entire communities. GBV can touch any of us.
Those at risk
Individuals most at risk of facing GBV include women, young women and girls, Black, racialized, and Indigenous women and girls, 2SLGBTQ2I+ and gender-diverse individuals, women living in Northern, rural, and remote communities, and women living with disabilities. GBV can affect people of different genders, ages, religions, cultures, ethnicities, geographic locations, educational levels, and socio-economic backgrounds.
According to Women and Gender Equality Canada, every 48 hours in Canada, a woman or girl is killed in an act of GBV. In 2024, 240 women and girls were murdered in Canada, primarily by men, a 54 per cent increase over pre-COVID rates. Victims and survivors of GBV often face lasting personal, social, and economic impacts with consequences that can echo across generations. GBV also carries high economic costs, with Canadian governments spending billions annually on healthcare, justice, and social services to respond to it.
At the federal level, the 10-year National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence was launched in 2022 to prevent and address GBV with coordination with provincial and territorial governments working in close partnership with victims and survivors, Indigenous partners, direct service providers, experts, advocates, municipalities, the private sector, and researchers.
Taking action and finding help
The Defence Team is committed to providing a workplace free from sexism, misogyny, racism, discrimination, harassment, or any other conduct that causes harm or undermines a welcoming work environment. Every member can contribute by educating themselves, addressing inappropriate behaviour or criminal conduct when they encounter it, and supporting initiatives aimed at ending GBV.
Learning tools, like Understanding Sexual and Gender-based Violence, which includes a Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Spectrum (PDF, 443 KB) (a printable PDF is available on the DWAN), can help Defence Team members recognize acceptable behaviours that contribute to a safe, inclusive, and respectful workplace.
In March 2025, Defence Administrative Order and Directive 5014-0, Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention was revised to align the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Harassment program with the public service employee Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention (WHVP) Program. This change has created one approach for dealing with harassment and violence in the workplace, applicable to the entire Defence Team.
You can add your voice to the global conversation by using hashtag #16Days on social media. Some Defence Team buildings will be illuminated in purple during the campaign, the official colour of the 16 Days of Activism against GBV.
If you or anyone you know has experienced or is experiencing GBV, help is available. Defence Team members have access to a number of services if they are experiencing gender-based violence and need help getting out of an unsafe situation Please seek help if you need to. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect.