Since its founding 19 years ago, Facebook has become a social media powerhouse with over 3.07 billion monthly active users as of 2024. Facebook has grown from a basic social connection website for college students to a life platform. It is used to find, connect, and catch up with friends, to read the news, to conduct business, to shop, and to learn.
Facebook is also useful for locating causes, organisations, and events that are important to us and to advocate for various issues. Facebook users can learn about and support global issues from their own homes. Violence against women (VAW) is one of the global human rights issues finding supporters on Facebook. Now, a story about VAW can be read, watched, or heard via Facebook by millions of people around the globe. They can follow organisational news, participate in grassroots campaigns, and donate from their mobile phones or computers.
More importantly, more than 3 billion Facebook members worldwide can now locate anti-VAW organisations’ Facebook pages to learn about VAW or quietly get VAW victims and survivors the help they need should they be unable to speak on the phone, or otherwise physically get help. Every little bit counts!
This is our ninth annual list of 16 recommended Facebook pages by anti-VAW organisations which we have selected because of their unique approach to fight all kinds of VAW. To reflect the reality that VAW is a global pandemic fought by our sister advocates and activists worldwide, the selection covers a wide range of countries across different continents. So choose a couple to “like”, or better yet “like” them all, get informed and take action!
Introduction by Rebecca DeLuca and Regina Yau; Written, researched and compiled by Vani Bhardwaj. Additional content by Regina Yau.
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Recommended Facebook Page #1: Abaad – Lebanon
Abaad‘s strategy for achieving gender equality is to adopt a zero-tolerance policy against sexual exploitation and abuse as part of sustainable social and economic development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. They offer survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) protection and assistance in times of disasters, wartime and peacetime while also supporting other local, regional and international entities in their efforts to do the same. Through their groundbreaking Masculinities programme, they engage men in efforts to achieve greater gender equality and end violence against women and girls. Their Facebook page is bilingual and they actively post about their initiatives including workshops, roundtables, and government-partnered projects.
Recommended Facebook Page #2: Acid Survivors and Women Welfare Foundation – India
Acid Survivors and Women Welfare Foundation’s priority is two-fold. First and foremost, they help acid attack survivors rebuild their lives. Their other perogative is spreading awareness about preventing acid attacks and how to recover from acid attack trauma and physical injuries. Their Facebook page routinely post updates about their campaigns and other activities, interviews with acid attack victims, information about what to do in case of an acid attack emergency, and how to overcome the emotional and psychological trauma of acid attack violence.
Recommended Facebook Page #3: Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence – United States of America
The Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (API-GBV) in the United States focusses on culturally-sensitive gender-based violence prevention and management, as well as related essential services for Asian, Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities within the US. They provide resources and capacity building for addressing different forms of gender-based violence, including domestic violence amongst diaspora and immigrant survivors from Asian countries and the Pacific Islands. Key issues that API-GBV addresses include culturally-specific community and systems engagement, language access, interpretation and translation for non-English speaking victims and survivors. Their Facebook page regularly shares posts about their partnership initiatives, upcoming events and campaigns, and information about GBV in the API communities.
Recommended Facebook Page #4: Center for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP) – Uganda
Center for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP) works with communities, institutions, civil society and the Ugandan government to promote the rights of women and girls to create safer, healthier and happier relationships, homes and communities. Their Facebook page showcases the ongoing community- and capacity-building events and initiatives they organise to engage with Ugandans to eradicate domestic violence and other forms of violence against women and girls.
Recommended Facebook Page #5: Centro de Estudios de la Mujer-Honduras – Honduras
Centro de Estudios de la Mujer-Honduras runs campaigns and projects geared towards pushing back against violence against women and girls (VAW). These include the development of informational toolkits for educating the general public about women’s agency and bodily rights They also conduct training for anti-violence against women organisations aimed at helping such organisations strengthen their institutional resilience. Their Facebook page includes updates and announcements about their new and ongoing campaigns, initiatives, projects, and partnerships.
Recommended Facebook Page #6: Gender-Based Violence Resource Collective – Canada
The Gender-Based Violence Resources Collective (GBV Collective) is a Canadian organisation dedicated to “bridging the gap” between survivors, individuals, social organisations and governmental agencies affected by gender-based violence (GBV). Their Facebook page shares awareness-related infographics regarding child abuse, intimate partner violence, narratives of domestic violence survivors and lifelong repercussions for survivors. They also cover victim blaming, self-injury and suicidal tendencies in cases of child sexual abuse and adult sexual abuse cases.
Recommended Facebook Page #7: Hyvinpitely, Finland – Finland
Hyvinpitely provides bilingual therapeutic support in Finnish and English on a one-to-one basis or in a group setting to survivors of intimate partner violence or people who fear they might become violent. Those who have survived such violence are also given adequate shelter. Their Facebook page shares educational posts about intimate partner violence in Finland as well as news and announcements about their upcoming events which range from webinars about domestic violence to holistic mind-body events geared towards helping survivors heal.
Recommended Facebook Page #8: Ifrah Foundation – Somalia
The Ifrah Foundation‘s mission is working towards the complete elimination of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Somalia and across the Horn of Africa in collaboration with its coalition partners. Beyond advocacy, the Ifrah Foundation also seeks to create a support ecosystem for FGM survivors. Their Facebook page reflects their continuous efforts to encourage and facilitate the involvement of community elders, family members, and boys and men in eliminating FGM.
Recommended Facebook Page #9: Lastesis – Chile
Lastesis is a performance arts collective specialising in creating resistance against violence against women by using dance choreography and theatre to target institutionalised sexual violence ingrained in systems of power. Their work transcends national boundaries as they travel widely to bring their thought-provoking performances to audiences worldwide. You are strongly encouraged to follow their Facebook page if you don’t want to miss any of their workshops or theatre performances based on arts-based resistance.
Recommended Facebook Page #10: Luchadoras – Mexico
Luchadoras has a goal to create a feminist internet in recognition of the socio-emotional damage inflicted on women and girls through technology facilitated gender-based violence. Their active Facebook page updates are part of their general awareness-raising efforts about gender-based violence across the board with a particular emphasis on how to manage and mitigate the risks of digital violence against women. They also use their page as a means of calling out sexism and misogyny in a wide range of fields and settings including sports and politics. Last but not least, they use their Facebook page for keeping supporters updated about their campaigns, event and the latest tips and strategies for handling online violence against women.
Recommended Facebook Page #11: Masimanyane Women’s Rights International – South Africa
Masimanyane Women’s Rights International aims to halt all kinds of gender-based violence (GBV) and provide support for survivors in South Africa. They also work to raise awareness about the human rights and sexual and reproductive health of girls and women, and the gendered aspects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Their Facebook page provides updates regarding the protests that Masimanyane regularly organises along with its workshops and initiatives to advocate against GBV.
Recommended Facebook Page #12: None In Three – United Kingdom
None in Three focuses on developing and using new and innovative ways of confronting gender-based violence (GBV) through evidence and research-based anti-violence video games. Their pro-social games are designed to address the seriousness of GBV and change attitudes and behaviours related to this type of violence with nodes across Brazil, Jamaica, Uganda and India. Their Facebook page is very informative for anyone looking to learn about online child sexual abuse and exploitation, the normalisation of violence in sexting, and bullying in intimate relations. Their posts provide statistics cited from reports and academic papers. This reflects their emphasis on intensive research into the psychology, roots and consequences of GBV.
Recommended Facebook Page #13: Women In Need – Sri Lanka
Women In Need provides support services for survivors of violence against women (VAW) and works to educate and advocate for a more equal society and an end to VAW. Their bilingual Facebook page shares their advocacy posts in both English and Sinhalese. They also help survivors have their voices heard by sharing posts about survivors’ experiences including those who wish to remain anonymous due to safety concerns. These first-person accounts of VAW make their Facebook page an essential “follow” for anyone who wishes to learn first-hand from a survivor about the impact of VAW on the lives of individual women, their families and their communities.
Recommended Facebook Page #14: Tagnè – Mali
The central focus of Tagnè is their commitment to ending female genital mutilation, child marriage and all forms of GBV. Their Facebook page shares announcements, updates, and pictures of their ongoing initiatives and campaigns such as camps, group discussions, community engagement and mobilisation activities and conferences that are conducted by Tagnè. NOTE: They do not have a website and their Facebook page is available in French only. If you are not a Francophone, Facebook provides a handy translation tool.
Recommended Facebook Page #15: Women At Risk International Foundation (WARIF) – Nigeria
WARIF is a Nigerian organisation working to intervene and treat female rape survivors through its rape crisis centre while also engaging in a wide range of educational initiatives to prevent violence against women (VAW) including programmes such as the Boys Conversation Café, WARIF Education School Programme, Police Sensitisation Programme and Traditional Birth Attendance. Their Facebook page spotlights their work to spark conversation about VAW while also seeking to educate people about how to prevent and intervene in VAW.
Recommended Facebook Page #16: Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice – The Netherlands
Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice is an international women’s human rights organisation advocating for gender justice via the International Criminal Court (ICC) and through domestic peace and justice mechanisms. They provide top-notch legal and gender research and analysis as well as capacity-strengthening to advance the field of gender justice and identify barriers to gender justice. Based in The Netherlands, they work with women and communities affected by armed conflict with a focus on countries with situations under investigation by the ICC. Their Facebook page educates followers and casual visitors about the intersection of international criminal law with gender-based violence. They also share updates about their latest research, initiatives and events.
The Top Photo is a Creative Commons image