When: Annually, November 25.
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is an annual day on 25 November and a consequence of UN Resolution 54/134. The day aims to end violence against girls and women worldwide.
UN Resolution 54/134
UN Resolution 54/134 was adopted by the General Assembly on 7 February 2000, as can be read in this document. This is also the information referred to on the official website of the United Nations.
Purpose of the day
The day aims to eliminate violence against girls and women around the world. It also focuses on making people aware of this violence and the need to end it.
Mirabal Sisters
The occasion for the day is a terrible event, which demonstrates the need for its existence. On this day in 1960, the Mirabal sisters were killed. They were murdered at the behest of Rafael Trujillo (October 24, 1891 – May 30, 1961). Trujuli was the dictator of the Dominican Republic. Mirabal’s three sisters, Patria (born February 24, 1924), Minerva (born March 12, 1926) and María Teresa (born October 15, 1935) were members of the resistance directed against the dictator’s rule. A fourth sister, Dedé (born March 1, 1925) survived the attack. She kept the memory of her three sisters alive by opening a museum in Salcedo. A garden of remembrance is also located there. Dedé Maribal died on February 1, 2014.
The three sisters would become a symbol of the struggle against Trujillo’s dictatorial regime, in which between 30,000 and 50,000 people are estimated to have lost their lives in the period between 1930 and 1961. The period during which he ruled the Dominican Republic is considered one of the most violent examples of a dictatorial regime in the Americas. Just months before Trujillo was assassinated on the night of May 30-31, 1961, the three sisters were killed.
They three sisters not only symbolise opposition to a dictatorial regime. They also symbolise violence against women. Hence, the UN has chosen 25 November as a day of awareness. This does not mean that this day is only about victims of a dictatorial regime or an assassination attempt on someone’s life.
Femicide
Take, for example, the victims of femicide. Political motives need not fuel Femicide. It is a contraction of the words fem or femina and icide (manslaughter or murder). Although this may seem like a “new” word, its origins date back to the 1970s. It was Diana E.H. Russel who first introduced the term in 1976. It was only in 2015 that the term gained more prominence after a Spanish translation, feminicidio. It was Mexican women’s organisations that used it to interpret specific events, namely the murders of women by men (source). Incidentally, where this source asks the question why there was an increase in murders of women, it might have been a better question why separate records were not kept. Indeed, in many cases, this is not being done. Even though it is relevant, judicial organisations worldwide make little or no distinction in this. This can be used to determine what can be done to combat femicide. Without relevant figures, fighting it is indeed essential, only it will not be clear how many cases are known. This is apparently what people want to know in other cases.
Bodily integrity
The day goes beyond “just” femicide, although this is a very important issue. The physical integrity of girls and women is also the focus. Think of sexual assault, rape and sexual abuse. That too falls under violence against girls and women. Perhaps that is precisely not the first thing you think of. Yet these are issues that should not be forgotten or skipped.
By the way, what about domestic violence? That too is an important issue that should not be forgotten on a day like today. As is gender-based discrimination that can turn into violence. In short, the day is hugely important and should not be skipped!
More information and categories
Because of the nature of this day, you can put it into different “pigeonholes”‘. There are intersections with society and emancipation categories. Not only that, how about LGBTQIA+ as a category?
Take a look at the official website of the United Nations about this day for more information.
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