UN International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women

November 25 has been designated as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Almost one-third (30 percent) of all women who have been in a relationship have experienced some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their partner.

MOSCOW, November 25 (Sputnik) –The UN General Assembly designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, inviting governments, international organizations and NGOs to mark the day by holding events aimed at raising public awareness of this global and extremely urgent problem (UN Resolution 54/134 of December 17, 1999).

November 25 was chosen to commemorate the Mirabal sisters, political activists murdered in 1960 by order of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. The three Mirabal sisters, Minerva, Patria, and Maria Teresa, were members of a clandestine political movement, headed by Minerva’s husband Manolo Tavarez Justo, called the June 14th movement, that sought the overthrow of the dictator.

Unfortunately, the violence by men against women is not limited to any specific culture, region or country, nor is it limited to particular female groups. Described by Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the UN, as a worldwide “pandemic,” the occurrence of widespread, thoughtless violence against women is ingrained in many cultures and represents not only a grave threat to global humanity but is also a proven economic crisis.

The UN defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life."

The global importance of this issue cannot be overstated. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) study conducted in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Medical Research Council and based on data from over 80 countries, 35 percent of women have experienced physical or sexual violence by either an intimate partner or a non-partner in their lifetime.

Worldwide, almost one-third (30 percent) of all women who have been in a relationship have experienced some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their partner, and in some regions, these figures are much higher. Up to 38 percent of all murders of women worldwide are committed by their intimate partners.

In Russia, violence against women is a major problem.

According to the Interior Ministry, women in every fourth Russian family have experienced violence in one form or another. Approximately 14,000 women die each year at the hands of their husbands or other close relatives.

In February 2008, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the UNiTE to End Violence against Women, a multi-year campaign aimed at preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls around the world.

The campaign aims to achieve the following outcomes by 2015: adoption and enforcement of national laws to address and punish all forms of violence against women and girls; adoption and implementation of multi-sectoral national plans of action; enhancing data collection on violence against women and girls; raising awareness and public engagement in preventing violence against women and girls; combating sexual violence in war and other conflicts.

The campaign "UNiTE to End Violence against Women" has proclaimed the 25th day of each month as Orange Day.

In 2014, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence to eliminate violence against women and girls around the world will be held from November 25 to December 10 (Human Rights Day).

The UN secretary-general’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign invites everyone to take part in the Orange YOUR Neighborhood project and to hold local “orange marches" to raise awareness about ending violence against women.

The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention) opened for signing in May 2011. The document outlines the necessary measures to prevent violence, protect victims, and effective prosecution of perpetrators of crimes against women.

As of November 2014, the Convention has been signed by 21 states, and 15 have ratified the document.