Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
Women began campaigning on this day in 1981, and chose 25th November to commemorate the brutal assassination of the three Mirabal sisters, political activists in the Dominican Republic, on orders of Dominican ruler Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961) in 1960. The UN General Assembly passed a resolution in 1993 officially recognising this day and resolving to eliminate violence against women.
To mark the day, activists, governments, international organizations and NGOs organize activities designated to raise public awareness on the issue. At UNIFEM’s event in New York, highlighting the theme of corporate leadership, Secretary Ban-Ki Moon shared the following:
“There has been real progress. Across the world, people are mobilizing to stop the abuse of women and girls. This is no longer just the concern of women's organizations. More and more people realize that gender-based violence is everybody's problem and that everybody is responsible for stopping it.
This year's observance highlights how business leaders can contribute. Just this morning I met with a number of corporate partners. CEOs who are creative...Company presidents who are committed...Corporate executives who care about the health and safety of the world's women and girls.
They are finding new ways to address violence against women from the pages of fashion magazines to the interactions between cosmetic salespeople and their clients. We welcome what these energies and ideas are doing to advance the goals of my UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign.
The problem is complex and widespread. But the solutions are within reach.
There are simple steps we can take: to get counselling to victims, To raise awareness that violence is a crime, To be sure that it is always punished, To free young girls enslaved by traffickers, And to enable all victims of violence to overcome their struggles and realize their potential.
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Our challenge is to keep advancing after today. To make new plans. To start new projects. To gather our forces. So that we can meet again next year to discuss our successes what we have learned from them and how to ensure they can have global impact, for no country is immune from this problem.
United, we can end violence against women.”
Soroptimists are joining in this challenge every day in every corner of the world. Since 25th November, 2009, clubs have reported the following:
- 551 programme focus reports submitted on work relating to violence against women and girls, including human trafficking.
- $495,676 funds raised
- 860,370 beneficiaries - 41,103 women and 45,267 young women and girls
- An average of 46 projects per month, 11 per week, and 1.5 per day!
SI will be raising awareness around different issues, campaigns, and activities related to ending violence against for the next 2 weeks as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign. If your club is taking action, we’d love to hear about it! Please comment here or email hq@soroptimistinternational.org.
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