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

Every November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is commemorated. Why this day to raise awareness and demand action?

November 25, 2024

Jessie Insfrán

Edited by: María Eugenia Ludueña

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 established 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.

Violence against women in numbers

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 that suffer patriarchal violence.

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