International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women - 25 November.

On November 25th International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women raises awareness regarding an ongoing human rights issue. Today, many women around the world are still subject to rape and other types of violence.

Through the years, government officials and international leaders have lead the charge to curb violence against women and girls. Unfortunately, however, it is still all too common. Violence against women continues to be a widespread and persistent human rights violation.

• One in three women worldwide experience physical or sexual violence — mostly by an intimate partner.
• Globally, 35% of women and girls will experience some form of physical and/or sexual violence. In some countries, the statistics are closer to 70%.
• Nearly half of all human trafficking victims around the world are women.
• 650 million women and girls in the world are forced to marry before the age of 18.
• 200 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation in 30 countries.
• About 15 million girls between 15 and 19 experience forced sex at one point in their lives.

Many women and girls who experience violent acts against them do not seek help. Even though 144 countries have laws pertaining to domestic violence, they are not always enforced. Along with creating awareness, this day seeks to remove the silence, stigma, and shame surrounding these acts of violence against women.

Since 1981, women right’s activists have observed a day against gender-based violence. They chose November 25th in honor of three Mirabal sisters. The sisters were political activists in the Dominican Republic who opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. They were brutally murdered on November 25th, 1960. On December 20, 1993, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women. Their goal was to eradicate violence against women and girls on a global scale. On February 7, 2000, the UN officially designated November 25th as the International day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This day kicks off 16 days of activism, which ends on December 10th, Human Rights Day.

2022 theme of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is UNITE! Activism to End Violence against Women & Girls.

Source: www.un.org

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