Dominican Republic to Australia: Why 16 Days of Activism?

Friday, 25 November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and it is the first of  16 Days of Activism. Each year, from 25 November to World Human Rights Day on 10 December, the 16 Days of Activism campaign calls for action against one of the world’s most persistent violations of human rights: violence against women.

How did it come about?

On 25 November 1960, sisters Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa Mirabal, three political activists who actively opposed the cruelty and systematic violence of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic, were clubbed to death and dumped at the bottom of a cliff by Trujillo’s secret police.

The Mirabal sisters became symbols of the feminist resistance, and in commemoration of their deaths 25 November was declared International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in Latin America in 1980. This international day was formally recognised by the United Nations in 1999.

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 16 days begins with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and ends with International Human Rights Day on 10 December– highlighting that violence against women is a fundamental violation of human rights.

Why does this matter?

Violence against women continues to occur at an alarming scale in every country in the world. Too often it is accepted as normal behaviour and the global culture of discrimination against women allows violence to occur with impunity.

Speaking out against women’s rights abuses is something that women’s rights organisations, including IWDA, do every day. From lobbying governments to improve laws and services to working with communities to change discriminatory attitudes and behaviours, organisations and individuals are working all over the world to respond to and prevent violence against women.

However, violence against women is a global problem and it requires global action. Days like the 25th November and calls for action like the 16 days of Activism are crucial because they shine a spotlight on the issue of violence against women. They are a moment to create public awareness about what needs to change to prevent it from happening in the first place at local, national, regional and international levels.

Join us and take action

Almost every country on earth participates in the 16 Days – buildings will turn orange, people all over the world will march and rally, and violence  against women, which so often goes unrecognised and unreported, will become the focus of social media and public calls for action.

During the 16 days we will be highlighting the issue of violence against women in Australia, in the Asia Pacific region and in our world, as well as the action which IWDA’s partners are taking to drive change.

Tweet #16Days, support women’s organisations, march in your cities – your voices are a critical part of the global movement to end violence against women. Together we must call on governments, organisations and people everywhere to speak out against violence. Violence against women is not inevitable; it is preventable. Tell your families, schools, communities and workplaces. Together, our message will be amplified, and our voices heard.