November 26, 2024
By Mateen Ali and Xari Jalil
LAHORE
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is an annual international civil society-led campaign. It begins on November 25, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on December 10 on Human Rights Day, showing that violence against women is the most pervasive breach of human rights worldwide.
The campaign was launched by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991, to eliminate Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) but the story behind it began a long time before in South America, in the Dominican Republic.
The Mirabal Sisters
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, honors the memory of the Mirabal sisters. Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa – were born into a prominent Dominican family in the 1920s and 1930s. Educated and ambitious, they became vocal opponents of the brutal Trujillo dictatorship. Their activism, both public and clandestine, led to repeated imprisonment and surveillance.
The sisters’ defiance culminated in their tragic assassination in 1960, a pivotal moment in the downfall of the regime. Their courageous struggle against tyranny has made them enduring symbols of feminist resistance and human rights, inspiring generations to fight for justice and equality.
These Dominican political activists, murdered in 1960, for defying the brutal Trujillo regime, have become symbols of resistance against oppression. Their tragic story serves as a rallying cry to end not only violence against women and girls but also to empower them as indispensable forces for societal change.
Feminist and women-led movements, often targeted with violence by those in power, have been at the forefront of progress and continue to be vital for a just and equitable future.