Across Europe, cities are using this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, and the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence from 25 November to 10 December, to send a clear message: violence against women and girls is not inevitable, and it is not a private matter.
From public art and orange-lit landmarks to specialist services, safer public transport and stronger laws, local governments are turning awareness into action. The initiatives in the cities mentioned below show how city leaders and local partners are working together to prevent violence, support survivors and challenge the attitudes that allow abuse to continue.
Vienna: ‘Only yes means yes’, and violence is a men’s problem
In Vienna, this year’s 16 Days of Activism have been used to send a clear political message: violence against women is not a private issue or a women’s problem, but a men’s problem rooted in structural inequality.
Marina Hanke, Vienna’s representative in the Eurocities Executive Committee and Chair of the Task Force on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, has called for modern sexual criminal law at national and EU level that centres consent and holds perpetrators accountable. The ‘only yes means yes’ principle is central to this shift, moving the focus away from the behaviour of victims and towards the actions of those who commit violence.
On 25 November, Vienna raised the White Ribbon and the Orange World flags in front of the City Hall, calling on men to take a stand against gender-based violence.
Across the public transport network, Wiener Linien underlined that violence has no place in public space: along the orange U3 line, the message ‘End of the line for violence!’ was displayed at the Ottakring and Simmering termini and appeared on departure monitors, while every third bench in U3 stations carried a ‘No place for violence’ sticker, a reminder that one in three women experiences physical or sexual violence in her lifetime.
During the campaign period, Wiener Linien, together with the youth service WienXtra, also shared videos on safety in public transport via social media, as part of a broader safety strategy that combines visible staff presence, well-lit stations, accessible emergency systems and video surveillance.
Behind these visibility actions stands long-term support for women and girls. Municipal Department 57, Vienna Women’s Affairs, offers counselling and information for women in difficult life situations, runs empowerment workshops for girls and young women, and provides a 24-hour women’s emergency helpline. Through this combination of legal advocacy, public campaigning and concrete services, Vienna is working to strengthen women’s rights and make the city safer for women and girls in every part of daily life.
To all of the women and girls out there, I stand with you. For too long the onus has been placed on women and girls to regulate their behaviour to accommodate boys and men.
Glasgow: ‘Where We Stop’ and a whole-city partnership to end violence
In Glasgow, this year’s campaign has gone hand-in-hand with major long-term commitments. On the first day of the campaign, Glasgow City Council agreed a new strategic plan for the Glasgow Violence Against Women Partnership. The plan sets seven priorities and concrete commitments to improve services for women and girls experiencing violence, as well as measures to strengthen the city’s response to perpetrators.
It builds on Scotland’s Equally Safe strategy, insisting that prevention, early intervention and strong support for survivors must go together, and that only coordinated work across health, justice, education, local government and the third sector can deliver lasting change.
During the campaign, Glasgow also launched the latest round of its Communities Fund, a three-year, £43 million programme running from 2026 to 2029. For the first time, ‘challenging violence against women and girls’ is included as a dedicated funding priority. As Chair of the GVAWP and Deputy Mayor for Communities and Equalities, Bailie Anne McTaggart underlined that this marks a major recognition of “the life cycle of discrimination, violence and abuse women can suffer” and directly supports one of the partnership’s aims to provide sustainable, specialist and universal services that meet survivors’ needs.
The city’s political leadership has also stated that violence is rooted in wider gender inequality. Bailie Annette Christie, Deputy Mayor of Culture, Sport and International Relations and Vice Chair of the Eurocities Taskforce on Gender Equality, highlighted that “violence against women and girls is both a cause and a consequence of inequalities between men and women.” Addressing women and girls directly, she added: “To all of the women and girls out there, I stand with you. For too long the onus has been placed on women and girls to regulate their behaviour to accommodate boys and men.”
A strong focus this year has been on engaging men and tackling digital violence. Male councillors joined their female colleagues in speaking out, with Bailie Paul McCabe, Chair of the Safe Glasgow Partnership, urging men to reflect on controlling behaviours and ask themselves #IsThatMe?, while backing Police Scotland’s ‘That Guy’ prevention campaign.
With cybercrimes accounting for an estimated 30% of sexual crimes in Scotland and more than one in six women experiencing online violence, Councillor Paul Leinster, Chair of Glasgow’s Digital Strategy Board, secured a council motion committing the city to apply a gender lens to its digital rights work. Tackling online abuse, he stressed, is “not an optional extra” but integral to a Glasgow where women and girls are safe, heard and respected on the streets, at home and online.
At the same time, Glasgow continued to use its ‘Where We Stop’ campaign to reach younger audiences. The short film of the same name, developed with the Glasgow Girls Club and partners, responds to the reality that more than one in three young women in Scotland has been in an intimate relationship with someone who was abusive or caused them physical or emotional harm. It aims to raise awareness among young women and signpost them to information, support and services in the city.
Throughout the 16 Days, local landmarks lit up, social media messaging highlighted different forms of abuse – from economic and online violence to commercial sexual exploitation – and the city spotlighted the specific risks faced by disabled women and those from minority ethnic communities.
Barcelona: A month of action against violence
In Barcelona, the International Day was the highlight of a whole month of action. More than 140 activities took place across the city’s districts, civic centres and municipal facilities, turning 25 November into the centrepiece of a wider local mobilisation.
On the day, the Mayor of Barcelona, the Second Deputy Mayor for Social Rights, Education and Life Cycles, and the Councillor for Feminisms, Equality and Democratic Memory joined together to hang a banner on the facade of the City Hall. This was followed by the reading of a joint manifesto against gender-based violence, bringing together representatives from Barcelona City Council, the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Barcelona Provincial Council, and local organisations and activists.
In the evening, a large demonstration organised by the Noviembre Feminista collective, with the support of the city, marched through the city centre. The following day, Barcelona hosted the Award ceremony of the XX November 25th Prize. This year’s edition focused on digital violence, underlining the urgent need to build safe and trustworthy online environments and supporting tools for self-defence, skills development and digital sovereignty for women and girls of all ages.
Dublin: Flying flags for women’s safety
In Dublin, a line of flags along the River Liffey turned a stark statistic into a public call for change. The art installation One in Three, developed by Women’s Aid with visual artist Louis Haugh and supported by Dublin City Council following a proposal by Councillor Hazel de Nortúin, takes its name and design from the fact that one in three women in Ireland have experienced domestic violence.
Each flag carries a woman’s name, underlining that domestic violence is never an abstract issue, but something that affects women we know and care about. The diversity of the names also reflects the many communities of women who call Ireland home today. A message that’s hard to ignore, even at a distance.
Frankfurt: Naming violence as a systemic violation of rights
In Frankfurt, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls was used to spell out a clear message: violence against women and girls is a human rights violation, not a private matter.
One in three women in Germany experiences physical or sexual violence at least once in her life, more than 140 women and girls become victims of sexual offences every day, and almost every day a woman is killed simply because she is a woman. Violence starts in everyday experiences such as sexual harassment on public transport, unauthorised photos and threats, and society as a whole shares responsibility for stopping it.
Under the motto ‘Violence is never private – violence is systemic!’, Frankfurt’s 25 November action alliance once again organised a rally and demonstration through the city. The alliance brings together women’s organisations, support services, migrant and youth groups, trade unions, political factions and city departments, showing a broad front against gender-based violence.
sexual violence against children and women has the same root causes in patriarchal domination and sexism
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Hanover: Turning the city orange to break the silence
In Hanover, the day was marked with highly visible actions across the city. Flags were raised at the New Town Hall as part of the national ‘We break the silence’ campaign of the German Violence against Women Helpline, and the building was illuminated in orange to shine a light on violence that too often remains hidden.
Under the patronage of Hanover’s police president, Gwendolin von der Osten, a city running club set off under the motto ‘STOP violence against women’, bringing people together in a public show of solidarity. Throughout the day, passengers on local public transport also saw messages against harassment: the onboard screens carried posters from the Municipal Prevention Council’s ‘Catcalling is OVER in HannOVER’ campaign against verbal sexual harassment in public spaces.
Alongside these symbolic actions, Hanover invested in awareness and empowerment. A panel discussion on cyberviolence and an online symposium on ‘Digital violence against women – multiple perspectives, protection and self-help’ invited residents and professionals to deepen their understanding of online abuse and ways to respond.
The GIRLSRIGHT Community – Girls make politics* programme gave girls the chance to learn about their rights and take part in local decision-making, helping a new generation to shape a city that stands firmly against gender-based violence.
Katowice: Sixteen days to ‘read the signs’ of violence
Katowice focused on visibility, information and early prevention. First, the city illuminated its Spodek arena in orange, marking Katowice’s participation in the UN Women UNiTE movement. Throughout the campaign, the city prepared and shared information materials with local media, NGOs, schools and cultural institutions, explaining the origins and goals of the campaign and showing residents how they could get involved at each stage.
The city mapped and promoted local initiatives, offered the Mayor’s patronage to events involving residents and used municipal social media channels to amplify the message. Internationally, Soroptimist International has run the ‘Read the Signs’ initiative, focused on recognising early signs of violence and promoting prevention through expert debates, workshops for Ukrainian women and information activities.
Milan: Red benches keep women’s stories in public view
In Milan, 25 November is marked not only with marches and events but also through powerful visual symbols in public space. One of the most recognisable is the image of red shoes, inspired by Mexican artist Elina Chauvet’s 2009 installation Zapatos Rojos in Ciudad Juárez, where 33 pairs of red women’s shoes were laid out to honour women who had been murdered or disappeared. Each pair stands for a life cut short and a story that must not be forgotten.
Italy has transformed this language of memory into the now widespread Panchine Rosse, red benches. First launched in Turin in 2014, the project is a cultural and community initiative that brings bright red benches into parks, streets and squares, making the fight against gender-based violence and femicide visible in everyday life. The empty bench symbolises the place left vacant by a woman killed by violence and invites anyone who passes to sit, reflect and take a stand.
In Milan, red benches have been installed in several neighbourhoods as permanent symbols of the city’s commitment, often bearing short messages or the anti-violence helpline number 1522. They are used as focal points for local events on and around 25 November, from commemorations to awareness-raising activities with schools and community groups. The Stati Generali delle Donne HUB maps these benches across Italy and beyond and encourages cities like Milan to link them with concrete projects and partnerships that promote women’s rights and safety.
Nantes Metropole: From support to action against gender violence
Since 2019, Nantes Metropole has invested in Citad’elles, a multidisciplinary centre that welcomes and supports women who are victims of violence, as well as their children. “Since it opened, 6,500 women have been welcomed to begin the process of rebuilding their lives,” said Mahaut Bertu, Deputy Mayor for Equality and a Non-Sexist City at Nantes Metropole. “On average, three new women walk through the doors of our centre every day. These figures are not new, but it is always necessary to highlight them to show the reality of the scale of this violence and the need to coordinate and combat it at all levels: international, European, national and local.”
the City of Zagreb is reaffirming its commitment to strengthening the safety, support and protection of women and girls
Nantes Metropole marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women with a public film debate and a dedicated workshop day for frontline professionals, aimed at improving how violence is identified and addressed. The city also hosted a discussion with local associations on ‘Children, the forgotten victims in the fight against sexist and sexual violence?,’ where Mahaut Bertu underlined that “sexual violence against children and women has the same root causes in patriarchal domination and sexism, and that we must consider and speak out about the intertwining nature of these struggles”. Addressing local organisations, she highlighted the strength of this ecosystem, which “brings together more than 90 organisations that want to work together on gender equality issues.”
The day was also a moment to reflect on how laws and debates are changing in France and in Europe. Mahaut Bertu welcomed the recent reform that now places consent at the centre of the legal definition of rape in France, and the shift in public debate since 2023 towards naming sexual violence more clearly. At the same time, she underlined that France, along with other countries, blocked an EU-wide definition of rape in 2023, missing a chance to set a common standard across all 27 Member States.
Despite this, she sees the European level as crucial for steering progress: the upcoming 2026–2030 EU strategy for gender equality will depend on cities and regions to turn its principles into action, including the “right to live without violence”, with stronger measures against cyberviolence and violence in the workplace.
Zagreb: Making public transport safer for women and girls
Zagreb launched a public awareness campaign on the safety of women and girls in public transport. Running on buses and trams and at busy locations such as health centres, libraries and cultural venues, the campaign focused on three goals: supporting and empowering women and girls, encouraging witnesses to intervene, and reminding potential perpetrators that harassment and violence are criminal offences.
It built on the city’s Strategy for Protection from Domestic Violence and its Action Plan for implementing the European Charter for Equality between Women and Men at Local Level, and responded to EU data showing that more than half of women have experienced harassment in public transport.
Inside buses and trams, passengers found tags with QR codes linking to guidance for victims and witnesses of harassment. The same educational materials were displayed in health centres, municipal libraries, reading rooms, cultural centres and police stations. The main campaign message was also shown on public transport screens, while Zagreb’s fountains lit up with the words “Stop nasilju nad ženama!” (“Stop violence against women!”). Throughout the campaign, the Zagreb Police Department stepped up preventive monitoring of safety in public transport.
“Zagreb continuously runs prevention programmes on gender-based violence, counselling and support for survivors, and funds NGO programmes in this field,” explained Deputy Mayor Danijela Dolenec. “This year we are marking the International Day with a campaign on the safety of women and girls in public transport, and in 2026 we will carry out a survey on the frequency and forms of harassment in public transport and public spaces. On this basis, we will plan further activities, such as improving procedures for reporting incidents to ZET (the public transport agency) and training drivers.”
She also highlighted a new measure in the 2026 city budget: free medical check-ups for women survivors of violence staying in shelters. “Through ongoing support and new measures, the City of Zagreb is reaffirming its commitment to strengthening the safety, support and protection of women and girls,” she concluded.
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*Main article and thumbnail photo credits Markus Sibrawa SPÖ Wien.
