International Day on the Elimination of Violence Against Women
Published on: 25 November 2014
Today marks the International Day on the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Do you know the story behind it?
On 25 November, 1960, Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa Mirabal were beaten and murdered by the henchmen of Rafael Trujillo, the dictator of the Dominican Republic, because they were involved in a movement to overthrow him. The sisters are known as 'the butterflies', or 'las mariposas'. You can find out more about their courageous acts here.
In 1984, the United Nations designated this day in honour of the Mirabal sisters and all women who face violence. The UN states: "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."
That statistic does not include psychological violence. It does not include tech-related violence such as online harassment, cyberstalking and blackmail. That means far more than 35%.
One of the ways all forms of violence harm women is by restricting their freedom of expression. Violence can limit the way women and girls express themselves. It can change their behaviour and silence them. Trujillo didn't like the message the Mirabal sisters were spreading, so he stopped them.
In honour of las miraposas, Take Back the Tech! asks us all to raise our voices. Let's speak about the courage of women like the Mirabal sisters. Let's talk about our experiences and share our own tactics of resistance. The only way we can eliminate violence against women is by refusing to be silenced.
On 25 November, 1960, Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa Mirabal were beaten and murdered by the henchmen of Rafael Trujillo, the dictator of the Dominican Republic, because they were involved in a movement to overthrow him. The sisters are known as 'the butterflies', or 'las mariposas'. You can find out more about their courageous acts here.
In 1984, the United Nations designated this day in honour of the Mirabal sisters and all women who face violence. The UN states: "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."
That statistic does not include psychological violence. It does not include tech-related violence such as online harassment, cyberstalking and blackmail. That means far more than 35%.
One of the ways all forms of violence harm women is by restricting their freedom of expression. Violence can limit the way women and girls express themselves. It can change their behaviour and silence them. Trujillo didn't like the message the Mirabal sisters were spreading, so he stopped them.
In honour of las miraposas, Take Back the Tech! asks us all to raise our voices. Let's speak about the courage of women like the Mirabal sisters. Let's talk about our experiences and share our own tactics of resistance. The only way we can eliminate violence against women is by refusing to be silenced.
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