INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

poster made by students at IES Ilipa Magna (Alcalá del Río)

My students of 3rd and 4th ESO at IES Ilipa Magna (Alcalá del Río, Seville) have made a big poster with different images taken from campaigns carried out in several Spanish-speaking countries. They have also translated into English some of the sentences as a message in this relevant day.

pics of the translations made by students

pics of the translations made by students

pics of the translations made by students

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is November 25 because that day in 1960, three sisters, Patria Mercedes Mirabal, María Argentina Minerva Mirabal and Antonia María Teresa Mirabal,

pics from http://www.classtools.net

were assassinated in the Dominican Republic on the orders of the ruler Rafael Trujillo. 

pic from https://swh-826d.kxcdn.com

These three brave women fought hard to end Trujillo's dictatorship, and since they were killed for standing up for their rights as free citizens, they became a symbol for activists on women's right since 1981. 

pic taken from https://marciokenobi.wordpress.com

November 25 was designated as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women by the UN General Assembly on December 17, 1999. Since then, many different events are organized around the world to eradicate this social scourge.

However, all of us have the responsability to respect equality between sexes and act accordingly to that basic principle.

To fulfill this aim we need to know some facts about that day:

WHAT DOES "VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN" MEAN:

pic from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-26444655

It means any act of gender-based violence that results in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occuring in public or private life. (source: https://marciokenobi.wordpress.com).

BUT WHAT ELSE IS "VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN":

IT IS:

• a human rights violation.
• a consequence of discrimination against women, in law and also in practice, and of persisting inequalities between men and women.

IT ALSO IMPEDES:

• progress in many areas, including

                      * poverty eradication

                      * combating HIV/AIDS.

• peace.
• security.

IT IS NOT INEVITABLE, BECAUSE PREVENTION IS POSSIBLE AND ESSENTIAL.

IT IS A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, SINCE UP TO 70 PER CENT OF WOMEN EXPERIENCE VIOLENCE IN THEIR LIFETIME.

pic from http://artesaraizquierdo.blogspot.com.es/2014/07/eterno-amor-falso.html

UP TO NOVEMBER, 44 WOMEN HAVE BEEN ASSESSINATED BY MEN IN SPAIN.