Celebrating International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Fighting against one of the oldest social evils in the history of mankind, today, 25^th November has been celebrated as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women since 1999. According to the United Nations, we need this day to spread the message that any form of violence against women is not acceptable.

According to the United Nations, 35% of women and girls globally experience some form of physical and or sexual violence in their lifetime with up to seven in ten women facing this abuse in some countries. This includes female genital mutilation, child marriage and early pregnancies. Through this year’s campaign: ‘UNiTE to End Violence against Women,’ UN General Secretary Ban-Ki-Moon has urged people “Orange YOUR Neighbourhood.”

He has requested people to organize rallies in public places and host orange coloured flags to show their support for the cause and to discuss appropriate solutions to the problem. UN Women also launched a global campaign in September: ‘HeForShe’, to involve men in fighting for gender equality and women's rights.

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One of the biggest issues with this problem is that the violent acts are acceptable in many cultures across the world. The other issue is that most victims are harassed by an intimate relative, because of which, most of these crimes go unreported. Artists across the world have shown support for the cause. An Italian artist, Alexandro Palombo, has painted pictures of battered Disney princesses and famous cartoon characters to highlight the brutality of the crime.

Highlighting that this is a Human Rights issue and not a women’s issue, the United Nations has announced 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence starting today, 25^th November and ending on 10 December, Human Rights Day.