16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (November 25 – December 10)

OSSTF/FEESO joins with the Canadian Labour of Congress (CLC) for the 2025 Global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, under the theme, Unions Rise Up Against Gender-Based Violence. This international campaign runs from November 25 to December 10 and includes December 6, Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action to End Violence against Women, a time where we honour the 14 women murdered at École Polytechnique in 1989 and recommit to ending all forms of gender-based violence.

This year’s campaign highlights the critical role of unions in creating safer workplaces and communities while calling on the federal government to take urgent action to address the ongoing gender-based violence (GBV) crisis across Canada.

The CLC is urging the federal government to meaningfully confront the GBV epidemic. That means:

• Implementing the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 190 (C190), the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019, through a national strategy, developed with unions and employers, tackling third-party violence and harassment that puts workers, especially women and gender-diverse workers, at risk. ILO C190 is the first global treaty to end violence and harassment at work.
• Investing in the GBV workforce, made up largely of women and gender-diverse people providing frontline crisis support, shelter services, and advocacy, remains severely underpaid, understaffed, and chronically underfunded. The CLC is calling for a national workforce strategy to ensure stable funding, safe working conditions, and long-term sustainability for this essential sector.

During the 16 Days of Activism, please visit the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) website for resources and tools to take action.