Be in the know: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Kingston, Jamaica… November 25, 2019 is observed as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (INDEVAW). The premise of the day is to raise awareness of the pandemic that affects women across the world. Violence against women may manifest itself in physical, sexual or psychological forms such as rape, domestic violence, human trafficking, female genital mutilation, harassment, child marriage and other forms of violence.

November 25 is significant because on this day in 1960, three (3) Mirabel sisters who were political activists were assassinated in the Dominican Republic by the Dominican dictator Raphael Trujillo. In 1981, activists at the Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Encuentros marked November 25 as a day to fight against and create awareness of violence against women. The date was declared the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on December 17, 1999 where it received its official United Nations resolution.

According to un.org “Estimates show that 1 IN EVERY 3 women have been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Between 30 and 60 percent of ever-partnered women have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner and between 7 and 48 percent of girls and young women aged 10 to 24 years report their first sexual encounter as coerced, with the attendant risks of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.”

The UN Secretary Generals UNiTE to End Violence Against Women campaign dubbed this year’s theme “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands Against Rape”. Similar to previous years, this year’s International Day represents the launch of the sixteen (16) days of activism that will continue on December 10, which has been marked as International Human Rights Day.

Violence against women is a persistent global problem that has affected the achievement of gender equality, social development and the empowerment of women and girls human rights. As a result, it has given rise to women’s movements such as the #METOO movement and several feminist organizations. These women’s groups have played a monumental role in bringing attention to gender based violence and the pursuance of a systematic and cultural change relating to attitudes, norms, laws, policies and practices.