THE United Nations General Assembly has designated November 25

as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Resolution 54/134). The premise of the day is to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence, with one of the objectives being to highlight an issue that has too long been on the global backburner.
For 2014, the official theme framed by the UN Secretary-General’s campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women, is Orange your Neighbourhood.
The genesis of the choice of this particular date is based on the date of the 1960 assassination of the three Mirabal sisters, political activists in The Dominican Republic. Their execution was ordered by Dominican dictator, Rafael Trujillo (1930–1961). In 1981, activists marked November 25 as a day to combat and raise awareness of violence against women on a global scale. This commemorative date and activity was sanctioned by an official United Nations resolution.
The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women was adopted without vote by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 48/104 of 20 December 1993. Contained within it is the recognition of “the urgent need for the universal application to women of the rights and principles with regard to equality, security, liberty, integrity and dignity of all human beings”. According to Wikepedia, the resolution is often seen as complementary to, and a strengthening of, the work of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.
The resolution also recalls and embodies the same rights and principles as those enshrined in such instruments as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
As a consequence of the resolution, in 1999, the General Assembly, led by the representative from The Dominican Republic, designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
In her message for 25 November 2014, UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said: “In 1995, close to 20 years ago, 189 governments came together in Beijing. They adopted a Platform for Action that spelled out key strategies to end violence against women, empower women, and achieve gender equality. … The promises from 20 years ago are still valid today. Together we must make 2015 the year that marks the beginning of the end of gender inequality. Now is the time for action.”
In his message on the day in 2013, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated: “I welcome the chorus of voices calling for an end to the violence that affects an estimated one in three women in her lifetime. I applaud leaders who are helping to enact and enforce laws and change mindsets. And I pay tribute to all those heroes around the world who help victims to heal and to become agents of change.
The date of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women also marks the start of the “16 Days of Activism” that precedes Human Rights Day on December 10 each year.
In Guyana, to mark the occasion and observe the relevance of recognition for the causative factor for this special day, the Government launched 16 days of activism from 25th November – 10th December 2014 under the theme “From peace in the home to peace in the world, let’s end gender based violence.”
Addressing members of the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO) gathered at the Diamond Secondary School to attend the 16th Triennial Congress of the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO), Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Jennifer Webster spoke to the observances of the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women”.
“We must recognise the need for strong action and bold leadership, to unite and join forces to end the pandemic of violence against our women and girls,” Minister Webster noted.
Guyana has a strong and robust legislative and policy framework for the protection of women. The Constitution enshrines the rights of women, several international treaties, including the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and other pieces of legislation such as the Domestic Violence Act (1996) and the Sexual Offences Act (2010).
Minister Webster also posited that the elimination of gender-based violence is an important issue that transcends all barriers, including race, politics, culture or geographic location, and is one of the greatest obstacles which can have a significant effect on the advancement of women.
She asserted that violence has a social and economic cost to a society, and seriously jeopardises the progress and prosperity of the world. Added to this is the human cost to women and their families, which she said is unquantifiable and therefore demands urgent attention; recognition of which has precipitated, at the level of the Government of Guyana, a “zero tolerance” policy against gender-based violence.
The Minister highlighted the several steps that Government has taken in attempts to minimise, if not altogether eliminate, this scourge in society.
President of the WPO, Indra Chandarpal, reflected that since the passing of the Domestic Violence Act of 1996, a lot has been done in Guyana to fight the scourge of violence against women, declaring “We have always held the view that this fight is not a fight that must be carried by women only… it is a fight that all players in society should be part of.”
Violence, not merely against women, is abhorrent in all its forms; but violence against girls and women has been taken to levels of depravity which propelled the International Day for the elimination of violence against women.