The designation of this particular day as International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is a result of the Nov. 25, 1960, assassinations of the Mirabal sisters, siblings and activists from the Dominican Republic. The Mirabal sisters were Minerva, María Teresa and Patria (they also had a fourth sister, Dedé). Born into a farming family in the Dominican middle class, the sisters lived under the brutal dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo.
Under the code name “Mariposa” (Butterfly), the sisters became leaders in the anti-Trujullo resistance movement. Alongside their husbands, they effectively organized against the dictator – and were then targeted by government mass arrests. On a trip to visit their husbands in prison, the sisters were assassinated by the Trujillo government.
But the resistance did not die with them. In fact, it grew. Surviving sister Dedé strove to document and get the word out about what happened, and the sisters became national and international icons. Outraged by their murders, the international community solidified in its resistance to the Trujillo regime. Both the sisters’ lives and their resistance methods became a clarion call to others to reject human rights violations, corruption and dictatorships. In this way, the Mirabal sisters were instrumental in toppling a dictatorship.
Today, the sisters are international symbols of resistance and the rights of women and girls. Their story highlights the need to reject and end violence against women. It also highlights that violence against women is a political issue as well as a personal one.
In honor of the Mirabal sisters, and in an effort to raise awareness of and end violence against women, in 1999, the United Nations General Assembly designated Nov. 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. As well as a museum and other landmarks in the Dominican Republic, the corner of 168th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan has been designated Mirabal Sisters Way. There are monuments worldwide honoring the sisters' resistance against dictatorship. The sisters were also the inspiration for Julia Alvarez’s book “In the Time of the Butterflies,” which was made into a film starring Salma Hayek in 2001.
Today, violence against women is still one of the most prevalent human rights violations worldwide. An estimated 736 million women “have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in her lifetime.” That's nearly one in three women — and this figure does not include sexual harassment. Furthermore, it’s estimated that every 10 minutes, a woman is killed by a partner or family member.
We see this problem not just on a global scale, but within the United States. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that nearly half of women experience sexual violence, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner. One out of every five women in the United States has experienced attempted or completed rape. While women are not the only people impacted by these forms of violence, they are affected at disproportionately high rates.
As League members, we know that women cannot live their fullest lives, let alone participate equally in society, when living under the threat of violence. As the Mirabal sisters demonstrated, women’s safety and political involvement are directly intertwined.
To increase public awareness of this issue and inspire action, the U.N. is hosting 16 Days of Action Against Gender-Based Violence.
The 16 Days of Action, which begins Nov. 25 and culminates on Dec. 10 (International Human Rights Day), aims to help legislators, advocates, diplomats, and the public make the connection between violence against women and human rights violations. It’s a time to “revitalize commitments [and] call for accountability and action from decision-makers.”
You can help by participating in the U.N.’s 16 Days of Action Against Gender-Based Violence.
You can also help establish legal protections on the basis of sex in the U.S. by demanding that the president pass the Equal Rights Amendment.
Together, we can create a safer world for women and girls.
Chris Sagona, one of the League of Women Voters’ representatives to the United Nations
Let us join in prayer for:
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff:
Rebecca Kueber, Operations & Production Associate, Publishing & Editorial, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
Amy Kim Kyremes-Parks, Growing Faith Resources & Church Relations, Growing Faith Resources, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
Let us pray:
God, in whose household all are equally valued, thank you for the courage, persistence and resilience with which partners across the world are denouncing all forms of violence perpetrated against women. May their efforts bear fruit so that one day, violence against women may indeed be eliminated. May those affected by this violence find a safe space to seek comfort and recover, and may their daughters be protected against it. We thank you for Presbyterians across the U.S. who express their solidarity in word and deed, including Presbyterian Women in the PC(USA), staff of the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations and those resourcing global connections alongside our ecumenical partners and civil society. Amen.
