International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

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This commemoration on November 25 has its origins in 1960 in the Dominican Republic, where the Mirabal sisters, opponents of the dictator Rafael Trujillo, were brutally tortured and murdered.

In Latin America, in 1981, within the framework of the First Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Meeting, the women activists attending this event agreed to honor the lives and struggles of these sisters, commemorating it annually as a reminder of the crisis of violence against women that existed and continues today.

In 1999, the United Nations declared November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, highlighting the unacceptability of gender-based violence and killings.

Currently, UN Women reports that more than ten women are murdered every day in the world because they are women. In Mexico, according to 2021 data from the National Survey on the Dynamics of Relationships in Households, more than 70% of women aged 15 or over have been abused at some point in their lives; moreover, the survey indicates that the aggressor is usually the partner.

While violence persists in private and public spheres, the context has changed. It is becoming increasingly difficult for people to identify that women continue to be at a social, cultural, and historical disadvantage. Patriarchy always strengthens and continues to demerit women and everything with “feminine” characteristics that stand out.

This year, the Center for the Recognition of Human Dignity dedicates the November campaign to creating safe spaces and recognizing the importance of building them in the community, as well as strengthening support networks, to contribute to the eradication of gender violence.

From the Office of Gender and Safe Community, we invite you to reflect and act on this issue. Violence affects all people. Let’s continue working as a community so that one day, women can live free of gender violence.

Office of Gender and Safe Community

Human Dignity Center

Translated by Daniel Wetta