26/11/2025
Today marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a global campaign calling on all of us to speak up, act, and stand with survivors. This year’s theme, “UNiTE to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls”, challenges us to raise our voices now, to end not only physical and sexual violence, but also the growing threat of digital violence targeting women and girls.
In Vanuatu and across the Pacific, the need for action has never been more urgent:
Almost 1 in 3 ever-partnered women and girls in Vanuatu experienced physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months.
The Pacific region records some of the highest rates of violence against women in the world, with many countries reporting that two in every three women have experienced violence by an intimate partner or family member.
According to the Vanuatu Women’s Centre (VWC) 2011 national survey: about 60% of ever-partnered women (aged 15–49) have experienced physical and/or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime; nearly 68% have experienced emotional violence; and 69% have faced controlling behaviours from a partner. In 2024 VWC reported continued high demand for GBV support services.
These are not just numbers — each percentage point represents real women and girls whose lives have been disrupted by fear, harm, and control.
⚠️ As we step into this year’s 16-day campaign, we must remember: violence has moved into new spaces — including digital ones. Online harassment, cyberbullying, revenge p**n, threats over social media and messaging apps — these are all forms of gender-based violence. They are real threats to women’s dignity, safety, and human rights.
But change is possible. A safer digital world begins with the actions we take today.
Join us. Stand up. Speak out. UNiTE now — for a future where all women and girls can live free from violence, both offline and online.
