November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
November 23, 2015

The United Nations General Assembly has designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It is a day is to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence. Also, an important part of this day is to highlight that the scale and true nature of the issue is often hidden, as we have sadly witnessed in recent weeks with various reports and stories in our newspapers. 

Some alarmng facts and figures:

Why is this an International Day?

• Violence against women is a human rights violation;
• Violence against women is a consequence of discrimination against women, in law and practice, and of persisting inequalities between men and women;
• Violence against women impacts on, and impedes, progress in many areas, including poverty eradication, combating HIV/AIDS, and peace and security;
• Violence against women and girls is not inevitable. Prevention is possible and essential;
• Violence against women continues to be a global pandemic. Up to 70 per cent of women experience violence in their lifetime.

Why November 25th?

November 25th was selected as it was on this day, in 1960, that the three Mirabal sisters, political and civil rights activists in the Dominican Republic, were assassinated. The killings were ordered by Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo.

The Mirabal sisters had become very well-known and admired all over the Dominican Republic and represented a great threat to the Trujillo regime. The murders meant the beginning of the end of Trujillo’s regime, as the Dominicans wouldn’t stand for this cruel act or the continued tyranny of this regime. 

According to historian Bernard Diederich, in his book titled: Trujillo: The Death of the Dictator", the sisters' assassinations "had greater effect on Dominicans than most of Trujillo's other crimes", noting that, "it did something to their machismo" and paved the way for Trujillo's own assassination six months later by one of his associates.

The Mirabel sisters: Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa

In 1981, activists marked November 25th as a day to combat and raise awareness of violence against women more broadly. On December 17, 1999, the date received official recognition by the United Nations (UN) by way of a UN resolution. The UN and the Inter-Parliamentary Union have encouraged governments and international organizations to organize activities to support this day as an international observance.

The year, 2015, marks the 20-year anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most progressive road map to gender equality. World leaders met in March at the United Nations 59th Commission on the Status of Women and in September at the 70th General Assembly to take stock of the progress made and commit to take action to close the gaps that are holding women and girls back. This year a new Sustainable Development agenda, which for the first time includes specific targets and indicators on ending violence against women, also replaced the Millennium Development Goals. 

The UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, managed by UN Women, has proclaimed every 25th of the month as “Orange Day” – a day to take action to raise awareness and prevent violence against women and girls.

On December 6th each year, Canadians remember the 14 women who were violently murdered in 1989 at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal.

We all must continue to work in eliminating the senseless violence against women – our mothers, sisters, wives, partners and friends.