The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is designated by a resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly on November 25.
Introduced by the Dominican Republic, this resolution commemorates the anniversary of the deaths of three sisters, Maria, Teresa, and Minerva Mirabel, who were brutally murdered in 1960. Although women in Latin America and the Caribbean had been observing this day since 1981, formal recognition by all UN member states did not occur until 1999.
For a considerable time, many organizations, including the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), advocated for international acknowledgment of this date.
The previous year, Noeleen Heyzer, then-director of UNIFEM, delivered a speech at a fundraising breakfast held in Toronto, Canada, urging both men and women to engage in 16 days of activism against gender violence. This voluntary initiative was set to commence on November 25 and conclude on December 10, coinciding with the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948 in response to the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazi regime.
This 16-day observance held notable significance for Heyzer’s audience in Canada, as one of the nation’s most tragic events unfolded on December 6, 1989, when Marc Lepine carried out a shooting spree at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal. Armed with a shotgun, Lepine took the lives of 14 female engineering students before turning the weapon on himself, an incident that subsequently became known as the “Montreal Massacre.” In his suicide note, he framed his actions as an assault against feminism.
Worldwide, women’s organizations have effectively united to raise awareness and garner support for their cause. While this reflects a positive shift in the fight to end violence against women, statistics indicate that much more work remains to be accomplished.
In a report published in 1994 by the World Bank, titled Violence Against Women: The Hidden Health Burden, it was estimated that one in every four women globally has been, or will be, subjected to rape. Moreover, the report highlighted that violence against women is as significant a contributor to death and disability among women of reproductive age as cancer and poses a greater threat to health than a combination of traffic accidents and malaria.
