Activism
Campaign alongside us
While supporting survivors is essential, alone it is not enough to end domestic abuse. We believe that changing social attitudes and our laws is the only way to build a future where women and children can live lives free from the fear of abuse and violence.
BWA is part of the network of local Women’s Aid groups in Scotland working towards a shared vision of a Scotland where domestic abuse is not tolerated. We are also active in our local Scottish Borders’ Violence Against Women and Girls network and use every opportunity to raise awareness of the issues surrounding domestic abuse. For example, when she sought our help, we briefed our local MSP, Rachael Hamilton, on the Domestic Abuse bill going through the Scottish Parliament. We encourage the women whom we support at BWA to take part in consultations about services and legislation. This led to a group of young women we support making an important contribution about domestic abuse and young people to Young Women Rise, a collaboration between Scottish Women’s Aid and YWCA Scotland.
Join us to raise our voices in challenging prevailing social attitudes about domestic abuse and let’s stand together to end abuse, misogyny, and inequality in our community and beyond.
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16 Days of Activism
We know that domestic abuse is devastatingly common, at home and abroad. At home, one in five women in Scotland will experience abuse during her lifetime. The most recent Police Scotland report records 63,000 domestic abuse incidents per year, of which over 1,000 happened in the Scottish Borders. Four out of five victims of abuse are women.
The latest United Nations study, published in November 2022, shows that, on average, more than five women or girls are killed every hour by someone in their own family. It is a horrific reminder that violence against women and girls is one of the most pervasive human rights violations worldwide, rooted in gender inequality and discrimination, unequal power relations, and harmful social norms.
In response to figures like these, The Global 16 Days of Activism Campaign was launched by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) in 1991. Feminists around the world mark the 16 days, run annually from November 25 (International Day Against Violence Against Women) to December 10 (International Human Rights Day) to call for the elimination of gender-based violence.
Every year Border Women’s Aid lends its voice to this global campaign.
