Why is November 25th the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women?

Thousands of people will mobilize in Latin America for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

November 25, 2023

Presents Agency

Thousands of people will mobilize across Latin America for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, commemorated every November 25th. They will seek to raise awareness and demand public policies that address this global problem.

This date was designated by the United Nations General Assembly on December 17, 1999. It was chosen to commemorate the assassination of the Mirabal sisters in 1960 in the Dominican Republic, during the regime of Rafael Trujillo.

Minerva, María Teresa, and Patria played a central role in the resistance against one of Latin America's bloodiest tyrannies, led by Trujillo. They were part of the June 14th Revolutionary Movement, founded by Minerva and her husband, in which the sisters, known as "Las Mariposas" (The Butterflies), participated.

On November 25, 1960, the dictator ordered the secret police to kill them. Their bodies were found at the bottom of a ravine, inside a jeep, along with that of the driver. The regime tried to pass off the murder as a car accident. They had been politically active for over a decade, were between 25 and 36 years old, and their murder left five children without a mother.

The figures

According to UN data , an estimated 736 million women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime. Only 5% of global government aid is allocated to combating gender-based violence, and less than 0.2% is invested in its prevention.

Although the event is known as the "International Day to Eliminate Violence against Women" in different parts of the world it has been changed to "gender violence" to include other identities.

According to data from the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) , 64 UN member states still criminalize same-sex sexual acts. Meanwhile, between 2008 and September 2022, 4,369 transgender people were murdered worldwide, according to data from Transgender Europe's Trans Murder Monitoring Project .

Mobilizations

In Buenos Aires, Argentina, a rally was held on Friday starting at 4 PM in Plaza del Congreso . There was a reading of a statement, cultural performances, and at 5 PM, a symbolic waving of green handkerchiefs. Additionally, a march will take place today at 3 PM from the National Congress to Plaza de Mayo . Similar events will also be held in various parts of the country. This time, the slogans focused on supporting public policies for the prevention of and support for survivors of violence, in the context of the rise of the far right in the country with the election of Javier Milei as President . On Friday, the Ministry of Women and Diversity received bomb threats.

On Saturday, some of the 25N demonstrations will join the Global Feminist Action for Palestine. In Mexico City, under this banner, a march is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at the corner of Reforma and París. This demonstration will be “trans-inclusive, anti-racist, and anti-militarist,” and children and the Jewish community are welcome.

Additionally, in Mexico there will be a mobilization led by the families of victims of femicides that will begin at 3:30 p.m. at the Glorieta de las Mujeres que Luchan on Paseo de la Reforma at 12:00 p.m., the 8M Coordination reported on social media.

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