16 Days Of Activism To
End Gender Based Violence

Sex Trafficking

  • Legal definition - The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 defines “sex trafficking” as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for a commercial sex act.
  • The TVPA of 2000 goes on to define “severe forms of trafficking in persons” in the following two-tiered definition:
            a) Sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, attained 18 years of age; or,
            b) The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services,    
            through the use of force, fraud, or coercion, for the purposes of subjection to involuntary servitude,  
​            peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.
  • Seventy-seven percent of victims in alleged human trafficking incidents reported in the U.S. were people of color, according to a Bureau of Justice Statistics Report.
  • The FBI claims an even more surprising statistic for arrests under the age of 18, black children make up 55 % of all prostitution-related arrests in the U.S.
  • In a recent report by the Office of Victims of Crime, of the confirmed sex trafficking victims, 40.4 percent of victims were African-American.
  • In a recent Urban Institute study that looked at the economics of human trafficking, of the traffickers interviewed, the majority overwhelmingly believed that trafficking white women would make them more money but trafficking black women would land them less jail time if caught.​​
We cannot help improve the self-esteem of Black girls if we're not positively addressing their racial identity. Instilling a positive racial identity in black girls is more than telling them they're pretty. Rev. Dr. Irie L. Session
Strong Racial Identity. A new study led by Sheretta Butler-Barnes, an assistant professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis, found that racial identity and positive perceptions of school climate were associated with greater academic motivation.Researchers learned racial identity acted as a protective factor in hostile or negative school climates.
Who is the Village?
~ Caregivers
~ Churches
~ Recreation Centers
~ District Attorney’s Office
~ Law Enforcement
~ Schools
Resources:
  • POETIC Trauma Therapy Center and Creative Arts Studio www.iampoetic.org
  • It’s Going To Be Ok – www.igtbok.org 
  • The Haven of Love – www.havenoflove.net 
  • Promise House – www.promisehouse.org 
  • Traffic911 – www.traffic911.com 
  • Polaris Project: www.polarisproject.org
  • National Human Trafficking Hotline – 1-888-373-7888 (TTY:711) Text 233733

Lack Of Access To Economy

  • Gender differences in laws affect both developing and developed economies, and women in all regions. 
 
  • Globally, over 2.7 billion women are legally restricted from having the same choice of jobs as men
 
  • Globally, 104 economies still have laws preventing women from working in specific jobs, 59 economies have no laws on sexual harassment in the workplace, and in 18 economies, husbands can legally prevent their wives from working.
  • Labor force participation rate for women aged 25-54 is 63 per cent compared to 94 per cent for men.  
  • Women tend to spend around 2.5 times more time on unpaid care and domestic work than men.
 
  • Gender inequalities in employment and job quality result in gender gaps in access to social protection acquired through employment, such as pensions, unemployment benefits or maternity protection. Globally, an estimated nearly 40 per cent of women in wage employment do not have access to social protection.​
  • Women are less likely to be entrepreneurs and face more disadvantages starting businesses: In 40% of economies, women’s early stage entrepreneurial activity is half or less than half of that of men’s.
 
  • When more women work, economies grow. Women’s economic empowerment boosts productivity, increases economic diversification and income equality in addition to other positive development outcomes.
 
  • Increasing women’s and girls’ educational attainment contributes to women’s economic empowerment and more inclusive economic growth. 
 
SOURCE: http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/economic-empowerment/facts-and-figures

Hunger Stats

  • 7 out of 10 of the world's hungry are women and girls.
 
  • Girls are 3 times more likely to suffer from malnutrition than boys.
 
  • In many societies, women and girls are victims of food discrimination (eating only what remains after male family members have eaten)
  • Girls are asked to give up their meals to feed their brothers.
 
  • 17 million children are born underweight each year because their mothers are malnourished.  
 
  • 795 million people experience hunger every day.  Hunger exists in the U.S. just as it does overseas. (www.bread.org)
 
  • For developed countries, hunger doesn’t come from not having enough food available.  There is enough food for everyone.  The overwhelming cause of hunger in these countries is poverty. (www.bread.org)
 
  • Nearly 15 percent of U.S households-approximately 49 million Americans, including 15.9 million children-struggle to put food on the table. (www.bread.org)
 
  • Asia is the most populous region in the world.  In recent, decades, as its economies have grown quickly, poverty has declined and food production has increased.  The number of hungry people in Asia has also declined substantially, by 217 million between 1990-92 and 2012-14, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.  Yet Asia still has two-thirds of the world’s hungry people. (www.bread.org)
 
  • Just over a quarter of the world’s undernourished people live in the countries south of the Sahara Desert in Africa.  Progress against hunger has been slow in this region.  In 1990, one in three people in the region were undernourished.  Today, one in four suffer from hunger, according to the Population Reference Bureau.  War and chronic diseases (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria) have slowed progress.  (www.bread.org)

Domestic Violence Stats

  • One in three women across the globe are victims of physical or sexual abuse.
  • Almost half of all women and half of all men have experienced psychological aggression in their relationships.
  • One in ten teens has experienced dating violence within the year.
  • Three women are murdered every day by a current or former male partner.
  • One in seven men will be victims of intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
  • Domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness among families.
  • On average, nearly 2o people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States.  During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men. (ncadv.org)
  • 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner contact sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking with impacts such as injury, fearfulness, post-traumatic stress disorder, use of victim services, contraction of sexually transmitted diseases, etc. (ncadv.org)
  • 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.  This includes a range of behaviors (e.g. slapping, shoving, pushing). (ncadv.org)
  • 1 in 7 women and 1 in 25 men have been injured by an intimate partner. (ncadv.org)
  • 1 in 10 women have been raped by an intimate partner. (ncadv.org)
  • 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence (e.g. beating, burning, strangling) by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
  • 1 in 7 women and 1 in 18 men have been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime to the point in which they felt very fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.  (ncadv.org)
  • On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide. (ncadv.org)
  • ​Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime. (ncadv.org)
  • 19% of domestic violence involves a weapon. (ncadv.org)
  • Domestic victimization is correlated with a higher rate of depression and suicidal behavior. (ncadv.org)
  • 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men in the United States has been raped in their lifetime. (ncadv.org)
  • Almost half of female (46.7%) and male (44.9%) victims of rape in the United States were raped by an acquaintance.  Of these, 45.4% of female rape victims and 29% of male rape victims were raped by an intimate partner. (ncadv.org)
  • 19.3 million women and 5.1 million men in the United States have been stalked in their lifetime.  60.8% of female stalking victims and 43.5% men reported being stalked by a current or former intimate partner. (ncadv.org)
The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%. (ncadv.org)

Child Marriages

  • One in three women across the globe are victims of physical or sexual abuse.
  • Almost half of all women and half of all men have experienced psychological aggression in their relationships.
  • One in ten teens has experienced dating violence within the year.
  • Three women are murdered every day by a current or former male partner.
  • One in seven men will be victims of intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
  • Domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness among families.
  • On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States.  During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men. (ncadv.org)
  • 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner contact sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking with impacts such as injury, fearfulness, post-traumatic stress disorder, use of victim services, contraction of sexually transmitted diseases, etc. (ncadv.org)
  • 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.  This includes a range of behaviors (e.g. slapping, shoving, pushing). (ncadv.org)
  • 1 in 7 women and 1 in 25 men have been injured by an intimate partner. (ncadv.org)
  • 1 in 10 women have been raped by an intimate partner. (ncadv.org)
  • 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence (e.g. beating, burning, strangling) by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
  • 1 in 7 women and 1 in 18 men have been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime to the point in which they felt very fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.  (ncadv.org)
  • On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide. (ncadv.org)
  • The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%. (ncadv.org)
  • Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime. (ncadv.org)
  • 19% of domestic violence involves a weapon. (ncadv.org)
  • Domestic victimization is correlated with a higher rate of depression and suicidal behavior. (ncadv.org)
  • 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men in the United States has been raped in their lifetime. (ncadv.org)
  • Almost half of female (46.7%) and male (44.9%) victims of rape in the United States were raped by an acquaintance.  Of these, 45.4% of female rape victims and 29% of male rape victims were raped by an intimate partner. (ncadv.org)
  • 19.3 million women and 5.1 million men in the United States have been stalked in their lifetime.  60.8% of female stalking victims and 43.5% men reported being stalked by a current or former intimate partner. (ncadv.org)
  • A study of intimate partner homicides found that 20% of victims were not the intimate partners themselves, but family members, friends, neighbors, persons who intervened, law enforcement responders or bystanders. (ncadv.org)
  • 72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; 94% of the victims of these murder suicides are female. (ncadv.org)
  • 1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence. (ncadv.org)
  • Internationally there is growing recognition that child marriage is a human rights violation and a severe impediment to social and economic development. 
 
  • The Trump administration’s 2018 budget has proposed complete elimination of all funding for reproductive health and family planning, which could have a detrimental impact on efforts internationally to address child marriage.
  • Child marriage is driven by gender inequality and the belief that women and girls are somehow inferior to men and boys.
 
Source: https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/united-states/
  • One in every five girls is married, or in union, before reaching age 18.
 
  • Child marriage threatens girls’ lives and health, and it limits their future prospects.
 
Source: https://www.unfpa.org/child-marriage
  • There is no federal law regarding child marriage. Every state sets its own requirements. According to data collected from 41 states, more than 200,000 minors were married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2015.
  • Early marriage doubles a teenager's chances of living in poverty and triples the likelihood she'll be beaten by her spouse, compared to married adults.
  • Girls who marry before 18 are 50 percent more likely to drop out of school.
  • More than 1,000 15-year-olds have been married in Missouri since 1999. Even children ages 14, 13 and 12 can marry in Missouri — it's one of 25 states with no minimum age requirement. For those 14 and younger, a judge's consent is required.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/unicefusa/2018/10/29/what-you-need-to-know-about-child-marriage-in-the-us-1/#3ffb9da25689
  • About 57,800 minors in the U.S., ages 15 to 17 were married as of 2014….The rate of child marriage varies by state.  It is most common in West Virginia and Texas, where about seven of every 1,000 15 to 17 year olds were married in 2014. Several other states in the South and the West, including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Nevada and California, also have above-average rates of child marriage. (www.pewresearch.org)
  • 12 million: Number of girls married in childhood each year, according to the latest prevalence and population figures. (www.girlsnotbrides.org, UNICEF)
  • The global number of child brides is now estimated at 650 million. (www.girlsnotbrides.org, UNICEF)