If someone says this is not a man’s world, they are definitely living under a rock! The status of women across the globe has always been inferior. If we start counting the struggles and hardships they face, the list would never end. Yet, when it comes to talking out loud for themselves, when it comes to voicing the opinions, women first have to justify their demand for equality.
Every now and then there is some incident happening to a woman at every corner of the world. Some are being eve teased, few groped or touched “by mistake” and when its convenient for men, few unfortunate ones are also raped.Â
However, every-time they raise their voices against such incidents, they are slapped with the most annoying phrase “Not all men”.
One-third of all women around the world experience physical or sexual violence once in their lifetime, across all social status, race, class, country, or age group. Horrifying enough? Let’s take a look at more such numbers.
Around 200 million women and girls become victims of female genital mutilation (FGM). Seven hundred fifty million are forced into marriage as minors, out of which 75% are subjected to sexual exploitation, and 71% are victims of human trafficking. Violence against women is omnipresent. Then why are we turning a blind eye to these atrocities inflicted upon women?
25th November is celebrated as the International Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Let’s understand the significance of this day and how we can contribute to it.
Why is 25th November chosen for this celebration?
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is rampant and keeping that in mind, we condemn these brutal practices that portray women as an inferior citizen of the world. But the point to be noticed is that violence against female victims also remains largely unreported because of impunity, stigma, and the shame surrounding it.
25th November is chosen to raise awareness about women’s safety and to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against female citizens across the globe. This day marks the assassination of the three Mirabal sisters in the Dominican Republic in 1960. The sisters got involved in clandestine activities against the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo (The Chief). As a result, they were ordered to be killed by the Dominican leader, Rafael. The sisters came to be globally recognized as the symbol of “social justice and feminist resistance.”
On 17th December, 1999, 25th November received its official resolution from the United Nations as the International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women.
16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence
The theme which was decided for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women for this year is ‘Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands Against Rape.’Â
This day is designated as Orange Day because this color denotes a brighter future, free of all forms of violence. You must be wondering that to protect women from abuse, we already have campaigns running like #MeToo, #TimesUp, then why do we need a separate campaign? Well, a0 16-day-long activism program is organized from 25th November to 10th December under UniTE campaign.
Unlike other movements, this ‘Orange The World’ campaign brings gender-based violence to light. It is to urge and bring the voice of the women who have survived violence to the forefront. #HearMeToo resonates the spirit of those women who have been defending their rights every single day (far away from the limelight of media).
Not only that, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service (DVCS) works with women (and men) to make them realize it is the responsibility of everybody, including men, to curb violence. It all starts with educating boys to respect girls as they grow up, not hesitating to report incidents of abuse to the authorities, and working together as a community to attain equality.
“Day of the Dead Women”
Latin America is one of the countries with the highest rates of femicide in the world, out of which 98% of gender-related killings go unprosecuted. This year, on the Day of the Dead, the demonstrators marched through the Mexico City, holding more than 100 purple crosses, bearing the name of the women who have been murdered or gone missing. ‘Dia de Muertas’ (Day of the Dead) was addressed as ‘Day of the Dead Women’ to express how agitated and disappointed people were with the prevalence of gender-based violence.
Violence manifests itself in physical, sexual, and psychological forms. The only way to stop it is to spread awareness, raise voice against violence and support each other