Supporting 16 Days of Action
At Magna, we are committed to supporting victims and survivors of domestic abuse.
From 25 November to 10 December, we will again be taking part in the 16 Days of Action Against Domestic Violence by using the #16DaysOfAction hashtag in our social media posts. Our aim is to highlight some of the types of abuse people may experience and the support and advice that is available to them.
16 Days of Action Against Domestic Violence arose from the original movement, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. This movement first began at the Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991, an event sponsored by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership.
Each organisation that takes part approaches the 16 days differently, some, such as the World Health Organisation, promote 16 facts regarding domestic violence in order to educate the public on an under-reported and misunderstood violation of human rights.
The first day of the campaign - 25 November - is White Ribbon Day in the UK, the awareness day that calls for an ending of male violence against women by supporting and engaging with men and boys to make a stand against violence.
It is estimated that there are 2.3 million victims of domestic abuse each year aged 16 – 74. With two-thirds of those victims being women. More than one in ten of all offences recorded by the police are domestic abuse-related.
This year (2021) both Houses of Parliament passed the Domestic Abuse Bill, and the new Domestic Abuse Act (DA Act 2021) was signed into law. Most provisions in the Act apply to England and Wales, or England only and it is now being implemented across criminal justice systems and agencies. The DA Act (2021) creates a statutory definition of domestic abuse which is not just physical violence, but can also be emotional, coercive, or controlling, and economic abuse. As part of this definition, children will now be recognised as victims of domestic abuse if they see, hear, or otherwise experience the effects of abuse.
A Domestic Abuse Commissioner has also been established in law and they will stand up for victims and survivors and raise public awareness.
We have more information on our website about how we're supporting survivors of domestic abuse and how and where you can get more help:
How we're supporting survivors of Domestic Abuse | Magna
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, or know someone who is, you can also get help from organisations such as Women’s Aid or Respect.
If you or someone you know is in any danger you should call 999 immediately.