The International Day to End Violence Against Women

On this day in 1960, the three Mirabel sisters, political activists in the Dominican Republic, were assassinated under the orders of Dominican ruler Rafael Trujillo. It is for this reason that the United Nations General Assembly declared the 25th of November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, also referred to as the International Day to End Violence Against Women.

The UN provides the following facts and figures supporting the need for this occasion:

• 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.

• It is estimated that up to 30 million girls under the age of 15 remain at risk from female genital mutilation, and more than 130 million girls and women have undergone the procedure worldwide.

• Worldwide, more than 700 million women alive today were married as children, 250 million of whom were married before the age of 15. Girls who marry before the age of 18 are less likely to complete their education and more likely to experience domestic violence and complications in childbirth.

• The costs and consequence of violence against women last for generations. 

As part of this holiday, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has created a campaign to UNiTE to End Violence Against Women. Want to get involved in this effort? There are a number of ways you can support the fight to protect women from violence:

1) "Orange YOUR Neighborhood" any time from now until December 10th, which is Human Rights Day. Orange is the official color used to raise awareness for the campaign, so you can show support by urging local businesses to display the color orange in support of women. It is for this reason that icons such as the Empire State Building and the UN Headquarters in New York shined an orange light today.

2) Wear orange. Because orange is the color of the campaign, you can wear orange on the 25th of every month to show your support for the cause. Learn more at the Orange Day website.

3) Follow on social media. UNiTE has its own Facebook page that will keep you up-to-date on campaign activities. 

4) Support UN Women. UN Women is a United Nations body that supports the gender equality and empowerment of women. They champion the UNiTE campaign, as well as other causes such as the Safe Cities initiative and He for She. You can donate to the United States National Committee for UN Women on this page. Your donation will be matched, furthering your impact!

Let me know if you have any questions about the occasion.