The end of the 16 Days to Make Girls Heard

Girl Guides and Girl Scouts across the world have taken part in activities during the 16 Days to Make Girls Heard campaign to end violence against girls. WAGGGS volunteer Sophie Lasek, from the UK, gives a round-up of what has been done.

The 16 Days to Make Girls Heard campaign has been a huge success for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world.

Everyone has been busy in all four corners of the world.

Thank you everybody for your contribution to the campaign. It means a lot to many women around the world who face living in danger every single day.

We are 10 million… and we can change our world!

Canada

Canada launched Six Teens for Sixteen days. Six different Girl Guides have been writing about why they decided to add their voices to the campaign.

Ecuador

In Ecuador, 12 Girl Guides who watched The Hidden Truth are now working on their own troop action to end violence.

India

Sangam ran a HIV/AIDS seminar and had participants from all over the world present, ready to take their learning back to their home countries.

One participant of the Sangam HIV/AIDS seminar, who was from Burundi, said: “The most helpful seminar session was the one of the gender violence where we saw the testimony of Zambian women.”

The participants discussed how a lot of them had experience of HIV/AIDS that had been passed on as a result of violence against women. As a result of the seminar, 15 pledges were added to Sangam’s Stop the Violence wall.

Ireland

Girl Guides in Kilcock, Ireland, ran a special Girl Guide night on the launch of the 16 Days to Make Girls Heard.

Malaysia

In Malaysia, trainee teachers and Cadet Guides had a peer group discussion titled Saying No To Violence Against Women and promised to carry on advocating this when they are back in their hometown. The Malaysian Cadet Guides also had a car wash day as part of their course work community project. The money they raised will be donated to a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to the elimination of violence against women and children and the promotion of women's equality.

Mexico

Our Cabaña teamed up with Guías de México to complete some of the Make a Noise actions, sending us a huge Mexican wave of noise to get girls' voices heard.

Panama

Guides in Panama made a video as part of a Western Hemisphere event on advocacy and strategic partnerships.

Peru

In Peru, Caroll Chiara and her team of Guiders and Girl Guides have been very busy shouting about violence against girls and women. Caroll and her Ranger company went out to collect signatures to gather support for the campaign, and they made a moving video about violence against women.

Elsewhere in Peru, Girl Guides in Lima prepared a wall on which they painted their hands as a symbol of rejecting violence. In Sullana, teachers put on a workshop to motivate 400 young girls to defend their rights and to stop violence. Our recent news article has more information about the efforts in Peru.

Rwanda

In Rwanda, 60 Girl Guides organised a march in the city of Kigali with the theme “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Act together in Prevention and Fight Against Gender Based Violence”. The march was in honour of victims of violence across the world. Alic Mukamazimpaka, executive secretary of the Rwanda Girl Guides Association, emphasised to everyone to see girls as the solution, not only as victims.

On 7 December, 20 Girl Guides from Rwanda went to the US embassy in Rwanda to discuss the role of men and women in ending violence, and how the youth can be involved. Pascaline Umilisa, a Rwandan Girl Guide, spoke at a UN event to the UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon and UN Women executive director Michelle Bachelet about the important role that young people are playing in bringing an end to violence against women and girls.

UK

Pax Lodge volunteers did a Santa Run to raise money for WAGGGS and to raise awareness of the Stop the Violence campaign.

USA

An enthusiastic and committed Girl Scout from the USA, Tracy from Michigan, took her Girl Scout troop to the 2011 National Council to build the whisper to a shout. All the girl delegates bravely took to the stage in front of representatives of WAGGGS and from all 50 states of the USA. Tracy is currently trying to get a spot at her city council meeting to start an awareness campaign.

Worldwide

WAGGGS ran a webinar on day 6 with CAMFED. Girls around the world tuned in to watch the film The Hidden Truth and chat with film makers Penelope and Mwelwa afterwards.