25 November 2025
On 25 November, we kick off 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence—a global campaign to end violence against women and girls in all its forms.
This year’s theme, “End digital violence against all women and girls,” highlights the alarming rise of abuse in our digital spaces—from harassment and exploitation to online hate. As digital access expands across the Eastern Mediterranean Region, technology must empower, not endanger, women and girls.
Gender-based violence remains a public health crisis affecting one in three women worldwide. Its consequences on survivors’ physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health are profound and long-lasting. Children in homes affected by violence are at risk of developing behavioral and emotional difficulties.
Health workers are often the first, and sometimes only, professionals survivors turn to for help.
Across the Region, WHO EMRO supports Member States to strengthen health systems, train providers in survivor-centred care, and coordinate across sectors so no survivor is left unseen or unsupported.
Women and girls in emergencies—including refugees and those displaced by conflict—face heightened risks of violence, both offline and online. Those with disabilities encounter additional barriers to care. WHO advocates for inclusive, accessible, and safe health systems where every woman and girl can seek support with dignity.
As we mark these 16 Days, let us move from awareness to action—to end violence, restore dignity, and build a Region where every woman and girl can live free from fear and full of possibility.
