We must #StandWithHer to end Domestic Violence - this month and all year

As part of our ongoing collaboration with #StandWithHer, MenEngage Alliance is joining the Week of Action to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

Throughout October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month reminds us to honour the strength and resilience of survivors, and to act in solidarity for systems that prevent and respond to violence.

The week of action, from 19 to 26 October, is a campaign by #StandWithHer, a global call to action borne out of the success of the Oscar-nominated documentary To Kill a Tiger. The film charts the story of ​‘Kiran’, a surivor of sexual violence, and her struggle for justice with the support of her father.

Gender-based violence remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations worldwide. Domestic or intimate partner violence is often a pattern of behaviour used to gain or maintain power and control over a partner, affecting people of all genders, ages, and backgrounds. 

At MenEngage Alliance, we recognise that violence is not only an individual act but a structural issue deeply rooted in unequal power relations and harmful social norms — and linked to notions of manhood based on exerting control and dominance, including through violence. 

Speaking about the Domestic Violence Awareness Month Week of Action, Joni van de Sand, global co-director of MenEngage Alliance, said: 

“We know that patterns of violence are linked to patriarchal norms. And men’s use of violence against women and girls continues to be normalized to a devastating degree. In addressing this urgent issue, it is crucial to centre the needs of victims and survivors of abuse. 

“We must also recognise that addressing gender-based violence means not only meeting immediate needs, but transforming the unequal systems of power that sustain it, through a feminist and rights based approach. Only by improving, learning from, adapting, and scaling up these approaches can we create a world free of gender-based violence for good.”

Join #StandWithHer this Domestic Violence Awareness Month during the Week of Action (19 – 26 October 2025) to raise your voice and stand in solidarity with survivors everywhere.  Together, we can build a world rooted in care, equality, and justice where all people live free from violence.

Get involved with the Week of action using the Campaign Toolkit from #StandWithHer: