Gender and Sexuality Justice Ministries joins global movement to end violence against women, children

The Gender and Sexuality Justice Ministries (GSJM) of the United Church of Christ has joined in solidarity with UN Women and a global movement to end violence against all women and girls. Through Dec. 10, which is Human Rights Day, many organizations and individuals plan to rally around 16 Days of Activism for a World Without Violence.

According to Schmian Evans, UCC minister for women and gender justice, this is a time “to raise our voices, take action, and renew our collective commitment to justice for all.”

GSJM submitted some helpful information on how individuals and local congregations can get involved in speaking out and standing up.

What is 16 Days of Activism?

The campaign began in 1991, during a global gathering of women leaders committed to ending violence worldwide. Since then, thousands of organizations worldwide have participated annually, bringing visibility to gender-based violence and calling for structural change. In 2008, the UNiTE campaign launched under UN Women’s leadership, inviting everyone from government leaders to faith communities to join the struggle for a world free from violence.

Why this matters, especially now

• Gender-based violence remains one of the most widespread human rights abuses globally, impacting women, girls, and marginalized people across the gender spectrum.
• The crisis is evolving, and this year’s global theme is “UNiTE to END Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls,” highlighting how online abuse, harassment, image-based violence, trolling, doxxing, deepfakes, and other technology-facilitated harms have become pervasive threats worldwide.
• It’s important to recognize that digital violence is not “less real.” It erodes safety, silences voices and often acts as a gateway to more severe harms. It disproportionately impacts women with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ communities, racialized communities, survivors of past trauma, and those speaking out for justice and equity.

What we can do to get involved

As a faith-based, justice-minded community, people throughout the UCC are called to accompany survivors and challenge systems of violence. Here are some tangible ways to participate:

• Raise Awareness: Share information about 16 Days and the UNiTE campaign within households, small groups, during worship, and on social media. Let awareness serve as a first step toward accountability.

• Reflect in Faith & Theology Spaces: In sermons, small-group studies, and prayer circles, start conversations about gender-based violence, digital safety, consent, power, and justice. Promote theological reflection that centers respect, bodily autonomy, and the inherent worth of every body.

• Advocate for Change: Encourage local, national, and digital-policy efforts that protect women and marginalized identities across the gender spectrum.

• Partner and Collaborate: Work with local advocacy groups, feminist organizations, social-service agencies, and networks already doing the work. Use our collective voice to support broader efforts.

CLICK HERE to learn more about this project and how you can get involved.

Faith-rooted commitment

The UCC call to justice, equity, and inclusion affirms that violence against women, girls, and gender-diverse people, whether offline or online, is incompatible with the Gospel vision of love, dignity, and belonging. Joining UN Women’s 16 Days of Activism is a way to reject indifference, challenge silence, and recommit to building a world where every person can live with freedom, dignity, and respect.

Every member, congregation, minister and ally within the National Ministries’ network is invited to join the #NoExcuse for violence movement.

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