The title 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence of the campaign itself implies the activism: the campaign is against one of the world’s most persistent violations of human rights – violence against women. Every 10 minutes, partners and family members killed a woman intentionally in 2023.
Why 25th November?
Nov. 25 wasn’t randomly chosen. Though the day now addresses the issue of violence against women everywhere, its story starts with one particular — and particularly brutal — act. The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women was started in 1999 to commemorate the Mirabal sisters.
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women was started in 1999 to commemorate the Mirabal sisters.
On November 25, 1960, Rafael Trujillo’s secret police killed three sisters, Patria, Minerva, and María Teresa Mirabal. They were publicly against Trujillo’s oppressive rule in the Dominican Republic. They were deliberately killed and buried at the base of a cliff to quieten the dissenters and make them afraid. The fact that their deaths became a call for justice and defiance earned them the name Las Mariposas, which means “The Butterflies.”
The Mirabal sisters were not conventional revolutionaries as they came from a middle-class family. They were married and had children during Trujillo’s 31-year dictatorship, which violently cracked down on free speech and civil rights. Even though it was risky, the sisters organised and established the underground resistance against the government, regardless of being arrested many times for being so brave.
Renowned for her bravery, Minerva once dispelled concerns about her well-being by declaring, ‘If they kill me, I’ll reach my arms out from the tomb and I’ll be stronger.‘ Her words turned out to be true. Patria was 36 years old, Minerva was 34, and María Teresa was only 25 years old when they were killed. This provoked a lot of rage, which led to Trujillo’s death six months later.
Over the decades following the transition to democracy in the late 1970s, the Mirabal sisters became enduring symbols of both democratic and feminist struggle. After taking it upon herself to ensure their memory would be preserved, their surviving sister Dedé founded a foundation and museum in their honour before her untimely demise in 2014.
To honour their sacrifice and bring attention to the fight against violence against women in 1980, November 25 was named the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in Latin America. The day was officially recognised as a worldwide observance by the United Nations in 1999.
How did 25th Nov become a 16-day campaign?
As a result of worldwide efforts such as the United Nations’ “UNiTE by 2030” campaign, the Mirabal sisters’ legacy continues to this day. Along with the 16 Days of Activism, this multi-year effort is meant to end violence against women and girls around the world.
Along with the 16 Days of Activism, this multi-year effort is meant to end violence against women and girls around the world.
Women’s rights activists have observed 25 November as a day against gender-based violence since 1981. In June 1991, the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL), alongside participants of the first Women’s Global Institute on Women, Violence and Human Rights, called for a global campaign of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in 1993 with a declaration on the elimination of violence against women through resolution 48/104, paving the path towards eradicating violence against women and girls worldwide. Then on February 7, 2000, the UN adopted resolution 54/134, to officially designate November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The UN welcomes the partnership of governments and civil society such as international organisations and non-governmental organisations to support this issue and raise public awareness every year on this date.
Another bold step in the right direction was embodied by the UN General Assembly, an initiative launched in 2008 called the ‘UNiTE to End Violence against Women‘. It runs with 16 days of activism against gender-based violence and aims to raise public awareness around the issue as well as increase both policymaking and resources dedicated to ending violence against women and girls worldwide.
What is 16 days of activism against gender-based violence:
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women isn’t just a single day; it’s the beginning of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, culminating on Human Rights Day on Dec 10. The 16 Days of Activism campaign calls for action against one of the world’s most persistent violations of human rights – violence against women. During the 16 Days of Activism, people around the world unite to raise awareness about gender-based violence, challenge discriminatory attitudes and call for improved laws and services to end violence against women for good.
During the 16 Days of Activism, people around the world unite to raise awareness about gender-based violence, challenge discriminatory attitudes and call for improved laws and services to end violence against women for good.
The days are meant to ‘symbolically link violence against women with human rights and to emphasise that such violence is the worst form of violation of women’s human rights,‘ says Lakshmi Puri, Assistant Secretary-General of the U.N. and Deputy Executive Director of U.N. Women in an interview with TIMES.
The 16 Days of Activism are meant to raise global awareness of the violence endured by women and girls around the world. The 16 days include marches, marathons and other public activism to promote gender equality and improve the lot of women everywhere. According to U.N. estimates, 35% of women in the world have experienced physical or sexual violence, 700 million women alive today were married as children and more than 133 million girls and women have experienced female genital mutilation. The U.N. estimates that in 2012 over half of murdered women were killed by partners or family members and that 120 million girls worldwide have been forced to have sex at some point in their lives. Together, we must end this global disgrace.
Theme and activities for the campaign of 2024
With the clock ticking towards 2030, when the world has committed to achieving Sustainable Development Goals, including the eradication of Violence against Women and Girls, and the upcoming 30th year of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, this year’s UNiTE campaign will be implemented under the framework of, “Towards 30 years of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: UNiTE to End Violence Against Women and Girls”
The 16-day campaign includes various sorts of activities to raise awareness, if you can not campaign for 16 days, you can pick one activity of your choice to participate towards ending the violence. Below are some examples of activities given by the UN Women for this year’s theme.
• ‘Orange the World‘ The colour orange remains a key UN symbol for unifying global activities and drawing attention to the initiative. You can participate in ‘painting the world orange‘, by decorating buildings, wearing orange, and ‘oranging‘ digital spaces throughout the 16 Days of Activism.
• Participate and actively promote the online digital crowdfunding campaign throughout the 16 Days of Activism.
• Talk about what it means to have zero tolerance towards violence against women in your homes, schools, workplace and communities, online and offline.
• Stimulate public conversations by holding virtual seminars or radio programs within the framing of the campaign to raise public awareness and encourage individuals and organisations to take action during the 16 days.
Companies and institutions can adopt and implement policies that have zero tolerance towards all forms of violence against women and that support survivors.
• Companies and institutions can adopt and implement policies that have zero tolerance towards all forms of violence against women and that support survivors.
• Engage the media, and opinion makers to explore innovative approaches through various mediums, raising awareness about the urgent need for increased investment in inclusive, comprehensive, and long-term policies, strategies, and resources to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls in public and private spaces. Highlight the importance of investing in autonomous, feminist women’s rights movements.
• Support your local women’s rights organisation by reaching out, volunteering, making donations and finding other ways to be engaged with them.
It is important to participate in the activities for the change, to ‘be the change‘.
