Every year on November 25th, the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women” is commemorated. It was officially established in 1981 by the United Nations (UN). The date was chosen in memory of Patria, Minerva, and María Teresa, the Mirabal Sisters, three Dominican activists brutally murdered by the regime of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo on November 25, 1960, as they returned from visiting their husbands, who were imprisoned in the Puerto Plata jail.
From the most representative global organizations, to medium and small ones, all pause on this memorable date to pay tribute to the three heroines who fought, through the June 14th movement, to end the Trujillo tyranny that for 30 years kept the Dominican Republic subjected to the bloodiest tortures, repressions, abuses, murders, etc.
This is an opportune day to raise the banner of awareness and reflection on the importance of continuing to push for actions to eradicate the terrible violence that affects societies around the world every minute, especially gender-based violence that disrupts the lives of millions of women, leaving insurmountable scars for those who suffer it.
UN Women revealed in its latest report that gender-based violence worsened as a result of COVID-19. The document shows that women's sense of security has diminished, leading to significant negative repercussions for their mental and emotional well-being.
This report comes at a time when the world is launching the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, from November 25 to December 10, with the global theme set by the UN Secretary-General's UNiTE campaign " Orange the World: End Violence against Women NOW! ".
“The COVID-19 pandemic, which required isolation and social distancing measures, gave rise to a second pandemic of shadow violence against women and girls, as they were often confined with their abusers. This new data underscores the urgent need for concerted efforts to end this situation,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.
A survey conducted by El Inmobiliariorevealed that nearly 70% of the staff at real estate agencies in Santo Domingo are women, mostly young women; in many other cases, these companies are led by talented and capable women, trained to assume leadership roles at various levels to contribute to social causes.
If from our various platforms we make small contributions to social change, in this case, to portraying the situation of gender violence and its consequences, we help to promote the impact that the problem has in our countries and the world and to raise awareness in old and new generations.
“Change is possible, and now is the time to redouble our efforts so that together we can eliminate violence against women and girls by 2030,” the UN maintains. And I would add, if at least on November 25th we launch a campaign to raise awareness and denounce the situation, we will help new generations understand the reality of the violence that affects more than half the population.
