16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence in Engineering 2024

16 Days begins on November 25th with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and concludes on December 10th, International Human Rights Day. In Canada, 16 Days includes the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on December 6th, a day which is especially important to us in Engineering.

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence was started at the inaugural Women's Global Leadership Institute in 1991; more information can be found at UN Women's website.

16 Days is an opportunity for us to reflect on our history, educate ourselves on the current state of gender-based violence, and start to take action to address it in our community and beyond. This is the only way that we'll achieve goals like 30 by 30 in Engineering in Canada.

Thanks to the support of folks on and off-campus, we've curated 16 days of activities and events to help you learn more and start to have these important conversations. We know that these topics can be difficult in the moment, or triggering for folks who have either experienced gender-based violence or now realize that they have perpetuated harm. You are not alone. Please visit our Help and Support section to access resources available to help you.

Monday November 25th

“It’s Not Just”: Youth Awareness Campaign

When someone faces violence because of their gender, gender expression, gender identity or perceived gender, that’s called gender-based violence (GBV). It’s Not Just is a national youth awareness campaign created to increase awareness of GBV and ultimately shift behaviours and actions to create a safer Canada for everyone. Different forms of GBV exist everywhere, but we don’t always take them as seriously as we should. Discover what they are and how to stop dismissing them.

Educate: To continue learning more about gender-based violence through the “It’s Not Just” youth awareness campaign, please visit the Government of Canada's website.

Tuesday November 26

What is Cyber Misogyny?

Over the past decade, there have been numerous stories of women and girls being bullied and harassed online. The term “cyber misogyny” has been coined to define the trend and refers to the various forms of gendered hatred, harassment, and abusive behaviour targeted at women and girls via the Internet.

Educate: Learn more about cyber misogyny through a learning network resource created by Nicole Etherington from the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children at Western University.

Wednesday November 27th

SVPRO Booth

In honour of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, join SVPRO at their booth on the first floor of E7 from 11 AM- 2 PM. Together, let's work towards building a culture of consent on campus, and advance gender equity.

To learn more about 16 Days and our initiatives honouring the annual event, please visit the SVPRO website.

Friday December 6th

The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

Canada changed forever on December 6, 1989 when 14 women were murdered in a gender-based act of violence at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal.

The Faculty of Engineering invites the engineering community to join us, on December 6, 2024, for a ceremony and moment of silence observing Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

Please join us as we come together to honour and reflect on the lives of these 14 women and everyone else whose lives were forever changed.

When: Friday, December 6 | 10:30 am - 11:00 am
Where: Engineering 7, 2nd Floor Event Space

Help and Support

Help and Support

We know that these topics can be difficult in the moment, or triggering for folks who have either experienced gender-based violence or now realize that they have perpetuated harm. You are not alone.

On-campus help and support for students:

For support outside of UWaterloo business hours, for emergency support, and for students outside of Canada:

Help and support for UWaterloo staff: