Proclamation by San Francisco's Mayor, Honorable Gavin Newsom
Varios Ceremonies Afterwards
Information Note
Division for the Advancement of Women
On 19 October 1999, at the 17th meeting of the Third Committee during the 54th session of the General Assembly, the representative of the Dominican Republic on behalf of itself and 74 Member States introduced a draft resolution (document A/C.3/54/L.14) calling for the designation of 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
The matter was taken up again at the 30th meeting of the Third Committee on 3 November 1999, when the Committee had before it a revised draft resolution entitled "International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women" (document A/C.3/54/L.14/Rev.1), by which the Assembly would decide to designate 25 November as that International Day. The draft was sponsored by 79 States.
By the text on the International Day, the General Assembly would invite worldwide organization of activities on that day to raise public awareness of the problem of violence against women. The draft expressed alarm that endemic violence against women was impeding women’s opportunities to achieve legal, social, political and economic equality in society. The Assembly would reiterate that the term "violence against women" would refer to acts capable of causing physical, sexual or psychological harm, whether in public or private life.
The Third Committee approved the draft resolution without a vote, in which the date of 25 November would be designated the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
General Assembly Action
On 17 December 1999, the General Assembly at its 83rd plenary meeting of the fifty-fourth session, on the basis of the Report of the Third Committee (A/54/598 and Corr. 1 and 2), adopted Resolution 54/134 on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Resolution 54/134. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
The General Assembly,
Recalling the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 48/104 of 20 December 1993, and its resolution 52/86 of 12 December 1997, entitled ?Crime prevention and criminal justice measures to eliminate violence against women?,
Recalling also the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,2 the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,
Taking note of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence Against Women adopted by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States at its twenty-fourth regular session, held in Belém, Brazil, from 6 to 10 June 1994, and general recommendation 19 on violence against women adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women at its eleventh session,
Concerned that violence against women is an obstacle to the achievement of equality, development and peace, as recognized in the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women and the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women, which recommended a set of integral measures to prevent and eliminate violence against women, and to the full implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,
Concerned also that some groups of women, such as women belonging to minority groups, indigenous women, refugee women, migrant women, women living in rural or remote communities, destitute women, women in institutions or in detention, the girl child, women with disabilities, elderly women and women in situations of armed conflict, are especially vulnerable to violence,
Recognizing that violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women, which have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men and to the prevention of their full advancement, and that violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into subordinate positions, compared with men,
Recognizing also that the human rights of women and of the girl child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights, and recognizing further the need to promote and protect all human rights of women and girls,
Alarmed that women do not fully enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms, and concerned about the long-standing failure to protect and promote those rights and freedoms in relation to violence against women,
Recognizing with satisfaction the cooperation provided by the relevant agencies, bodies, funds and organs of the United Nations system to different countries in the fight to eradicate violence against women, in fulfilment of their respective mandates,
Recognizing the efforts made by civil society and non-governmental organizations that have contributed to creating a worldwide social conscience of the negative impact, both on social and on economic life, of violence against women,
Reiterating that, according to article 1 of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, the term "violence against women" means any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life,
1. Decides to designate 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women;
2. Invites, as appropriate, Governments, the relevant agencies, bodies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system, and other international organizations and non-governmental organizations, to organize on that day activities designed to raise public awareness of the problem of violence against women.
History of the Day
Previously, 25 November was observed in Latin America and a growing number of other countries around the world as "International Day Against Violence Against Women". With no standard title, it was also referred to as "No Violence Against Women Day" and the "Day to End Violence Against Women". It was first declared by the first Feminist Encuentro for Latin America and the Caribbean held in Bogota, Colombia (18 to 21 July 1981). At that Encuentro women systematically denounced gender violence from domestic battery, to rape and sexual harassment, to state violence including torture and abuses of women political prisoners. The date was chosen to commemorate the lives of the Mirabal sisters. It originally marked the day that the three Mirabal sisters from the Dominican Republic were violently assassinated in 1960 during the Trujillo dictatorship (Rafael Trujillo 1930-1961). The day was used to pay tribute to the Mirabal sisters, as well as global recognition of gender violence.
The Mirabal Sisters
The three sisters, Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa were born to Enrique Mirabal and Maria Mercedes Reyes (Chea) in 1924, 1927 and 1935 respectively in the Cibas region of the Dominican Republic. All three were educated in the Dominican Republic, Minerva and Maria Teresa going on to achieve university degrees.
All three sisters and their husbands became involved in activities against the Trujillo regime. The Mirabal sisters were political activists and highly visible symbols of resistance to Trujillo’s dictatorship. As a result, the sisters and their families were constantly persecuted for their outspoken as well as clandestine activities against the State. Over the course of their political activity, the women and their husbands were repeatedly imprisoned at different stages. Minerva herself was imprisoned on four occasions. Despite Trujillo’s persecution, the sisters still continued to actively participate in political activities against the leadership. In January 1960, Patria took charge of a meeting that eventually established the Clandestine Movement of 14 June 1960 of which all the sisters participated. When this plot against the tyranny failed, the sisters and their comrades in the Clandestine Resistance Movement were persecuted throughout the country.
In early November 1960, Trujillo declared that his two problems were the Church and the Mirabal sisters. On 25 November 1960, the sisters were assassinated in an "accident" as they were being driven to visit their husbands who were in prison. The accident caused much public outcry, and shocked and enraged the nation. The brutal assassination of the Mirabal sisters was one of the events that helped propel the anti-Trujillo movement, and within a year, the Trujillo dictatorship came to an end.
The sisters, referred to as the "Inolvidables Mariposas", the "Unforgettable Butterflies" have become a symbol against victimization of women. They have become the symbol of both popular and feminist resistance. They have been commemorated in poems, songs and books. Their execution inspired a fictional account "In the Time of the Butterflies" on the young lives of the sisters written by Julia Alvarez. It describes their suffering and martyrdom in the last days of the Trujillo dictatorship. The memory of the Mirabal sisters and their struggle for freedom and respect for human rights for all has transformed them into symbols of dignity and inspiration. They are symbols against prejudice and stereotypes, and their lives raised the spirits of all those they encountered and later, after their death, not only those in the Dominican Republic but others around the world.
Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence came out of the Global Campaign for Women’s Human Rights. In June 1991, the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) with participants of the first Women’s Global Institute on Women, Violence and Human Rights, a forum involving 23 women from 20 countries called for a global campaign of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. The campaign would highlight the connections between women, violence, and human rights from 25 November to 10 December 1991. The time period encompassed four significant dates: 25 November, the International Day Against Violence Against Women; 1 December, World AIDS Day; 6 December, the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, when 14 women engineering students were gunned down for being feminists; and 10 December, Human Rights Day.
Coordinated by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership, 2000 marks the tenth annual campaign, and is observed globally by activities at the local, national, regional and international levels. Activities include radio, television and video programming; press conferences; film screenings; workshops, seminars, panels and other meetings; demonstrations, protests, marches and vigils; photo, poster, art and book exhibitions; lectures, debates, testimonies and talks; petition drives; public education campaigns; concerts, plays and other theatre performances; street dramas and other community programmes; distribution of posters, stickers, leaflets, information kits and other publications;
The tenth anniversary of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign is inspired by the strength and commitment of the movement that works tirelessly to eliminate gender-based violence in the home and in the world. Over the years, the 16 Days network has multiplied and now includes participation from more than 800 organizations in over 90 countries. The growth of the Campaign exceeded initial expectations - not just in the numbers of those participating but also in spirit. The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence has become an annual event in many towns, states and regions. Women's human rights activists have used this
16-day period to create a solidarity movement which raises awareness around gender-based violence, works to ensure better protection for survivors of violence and calls for its elimination. The 16 Days solidarity network welcomes those who join the campaign annually by coordinating activities in their own regions.
The organizing strategies employed by groups during the Campaign vary and are reflective of the region and its current political situation. In 2000, the Center urged that organizations link to global events such as the recent five-year review of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing +5) and the upcoming World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (31 August - 7 September 2001 in South Africa) to pressure local and national governments to implement promises made and increase their commitment to women's human rights in the future. The Center encourages activists to use this 16-day period to raise awareness in student, local, national and regional communities by coordinating events such as tribunals, workshops, festivals, etc.
More PostsCASA's Violence Prevention ProgramCombating Domestic Violence through Raising Awareness and Developing Support Networks CASA's founder was a social worker and its first employee was a psychologist. During the organization's first ten years of community outreach work, these professionals and the first peer counselor team dealt with many cases of inter-family and sexual violence, as well as other examples of abuse. Counseling was provided and CASA staff often accompanied the individuals and their families when they sought a legal resolution for their problems.
San Miguel Walk
Walk to End Domestic Violence
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Walkers from the San Miguel Walk 2005 |
| The annual San Miguel Walk is a one day awareness and fund raising walk to help prevent Domestic Violence. Its goal is to raise consciousness about the high rate of domestic violence against women and children in Mexico and throughout the world and to raise funds for CASA's program to combat and prevent it. For more than 100 years, an annual religious pilgrimage has drawn people throughout Mexico to the Basilica of the Virgin of San Juan de Los Lagos in the state of Jalisco. Participants of the San Miguel Walk to Help Prevent Domestic Violence join these pilgrims for one day (approximately 10 miles) of their pilgrimage, raising tens of thousands through donations and sponsorships. >> Join With US Help by sponsoring a walker, |
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Editorial: Elimination of violence against women
TOMORROW, November 25, is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
While indeed great strides have already been made against violence against women with the enactment of various laws including the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995, Anti-Rape Act of 1997, Rape Victims Assistance Act of 1998, An Act penalizing matching of Filipino mail order brides (1998), Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, and the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004 (Republic Act No. 9262), there's still a lot that has to be done.
What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers
For one, violence against women is not just about hitting and beating and berating. Violence can also be manifested through torturous long prosecution processes, slow police response, and lack of support services.
November/December - Anti-Violence
On This Page
- Step it up! 10 Steps to End Violence Against Women
- November 25: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
- December 6th: National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
- Anti-Violence Programs and Resources
- Take Action
- Suggested activities in the classroom
Step it Up! 10 Steps to End Violence Against Women
Visit the website for 
Step it Up! 10 Steps to End Violence Against Women.
This campaign was launched in 2006 by the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses (OAITH), the province-wide network of women's shelters.
Click here for a PDF version of the poster: 
Step It Up Poster - (495 KB)
November 25: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
November 25th marks the start of two anti-violence campaigns:
Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender Violence (November 25th to December 10th) links violence against women and human rights, emphasizing that all forms of violence, whether perpetrated in the public or private sphere, are a violation of human rights. November 25 is International Day Against Violence Against Women and December 10 is International Human Rights Day. The 16-day period also includes December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. More information is available from www.cwgl.rutgers.edu.
The White Ribbon Campaign (November 25th to December 6th) provides an opportunity for boys and men to work together to end violence against women. Education and Action kits are available from the White Ribbon Campaign.
December 6th: National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
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On Dec. 6, 1989, 14 young women were killed at the École Polytechnique in Montreal in what has become known as the Montreal Massacre. Their tragic deaths remind us of the frightening reality that dozens of women die violently every year in this country. This day has been declared a national day of mourning and action.
We realize that the murder of these women was not an isolated act. Along with violence against women in homes, workplaces, and the street, this tragedy is yet another manifestation of the devaluing and blaming of women which is embedded in our society and internalized in individuals.
Violence is a chosen response. Society must become more serious about ending violence against women and children. Our institutions must work and achieve equality including equal power between men and women.
Rose Buttons campaign
Every year, the YWCA of Canada sells rose buttons to mark December 6. These buttons can be distributed, or sold to raise funds for community organizations supporting women in violent situations. For more information on this campaign, see the YWCA website.
ETFO's Anti-Violence Programs and Resources
Anti-Violence: Getting Past the Headlines
Violence against women and children makes the news almost every day. This opens up countless opportunities to get past the headlines and help your students examine the:
- history of violence against women; social, political, racial, and media context of violence;
- psychological, social and economic impact on women's (and children's) lives;
- needs of women and children who have witnessed or experienced violence;
- police and legal response;
- political response by various levels of governments, and;
- role of education, anti-violence and anti-sexism programs in schools.
Roots of Equality
Between 2006 and 2008, ETFO members developed a collection of resources called Roots of Equality. Partially funded by the Ontario Women’s Directorate, the resources are designed to help educators foster students’ healthy, equal relationships and raise awareness of violence against women.
- Lesson plans for Grades 1-8;
- Workshop for Grade 7 & 8 girls’ conferences;
- Tip sheets for educators in English and French; and
- Tip
sheets for parents in eight languages.
women abuse affects our children
This program, new in 2007-2008, is funded by the Ontario Women’s Directorate. Two-day regional workshops prepare members to facilitate local workshops, focused on the effects of violence against women on children. Contact Carol Zavitz, 
czavitz@etfo.org, for more information about available, or go to www.curriculum.org/womanabuse for downloadable resources.
Breaking the Silence
Examining Violence Against Women is a program designed to educate women ETFO members about domestic violence and how to help women in violent situations. ETFO trains women members interested in facilitating workshops on violence against women, and makes the workshops available at the local level, in an after-school, half-day or all-day (weekday or weekend) format.
Take a Closer Look:
A practical guide to exploring issues of media violence in the intermediate classroom is a resource ETFO produced in 2001. The writers of this guide are available to conduct workshops at the local level.
Contact your Status of Women Chairperson at your local office for more information on these programs, or to suggest bringing them to your local.
Resources
The best source for general information about violence against women is Springtide Resources, a Toronto-based organization whose mission is to inform and educate the community about the issue of wife assault/woman abuse in order to decrease the incidence of physical, psychological, emotional, and sexual violence against women and the effect that woman abuse has on children. Materials are available from their website, or you can order their publications online, by phone, or mail.
Springtide Resources
Suite 220, 215 Spadina Avenue
Toronto, ON, Canada M5T 2C7
Phone: (416) 968-3422
TTY: (416) 968-7335
Fax: (416) 968-2026
Website: www.springtideresources.org
Useful Websites
METRAC:
Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children (Toronto) www.metrac.org
Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children
(University of Western Ontario) www.uwo.ca/violence/
Ontario Women’s Directoratehttp://www.ontariowomensdirectorate.gov.on.ca/
National Clearing House on Family Violencehttp://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/familyviolence/index.html
FREDA
Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Childrenwww.harbour.sfu.ca/freda
Take Action
Violence is learned behaviour, and all forms of violence are related.
As long as racial taunts and sexist comments continue to exist in our classrooms, violence in schools will continue. As long as the media (including movies, music, video games, and advertisements) portray a litany of violent acts, violence will continue. As long as children grow up in abusive homes and witness abuse, violence will continue.
Solutions to ending violence must be collaborative in nature and holistic in scope. That means classroom teachers, schools, local boards, and the community itself must work together to change a lifetime of learning violence.
Local Status of Women Committees can do their part by forming partnerships with community groups, increasing awareness within the school community, and implementing anti-violence initiatives. Here are some suggestions:
Curriculum
- Encourage your school and district school board to use programs such as The Peacemaker Program, Second Step, and/or other problem-solving and social skills programs;
- Encourage grade 6, 7, 8 teachers to plan a day of workshops on violence awareness and prevention for the students. These could include topics such as family violence, dating violence, gang violence, date rape, racism, and sexual harassment;
- Encourage school anti-violence programs that begin in the early years.
Professional Development
- Encourage the district school board to plan workshops for professional development on the issue of violence. Breaking the Silence is an ETFO Women’s Program offering workshops addressing issues of violence against women.
Resources
- Encourage the district school board to provide funding for classroom resources that deal with issues of violence;
- Contact board personnel to ensure the district school board is accessing all the grants available on issues of violence.
Policies
- Ask for input into all district school board policies related to issues of violence;
- Ensure anti-violence policies include development, implementation, monitoring, and revision practices;
- Encourage teachers to involve parents in developing classroom rules and reinforcing them by expecting the same standards at home;
- Emphasize prevention. Zero tolerance means no bullying, no harassment, no name-calling, even in the early years;
- Encourage schools to involve the whole community, including students, in discussing violence in the schools and what can be done about it.
What suggestions do you have? Let us know by emailing Carol Zavitz.
Supporting Women's Shelters
Women in Crisis is an ETFO Women’s Program that provides donations to existing women’s crisis centres and start-up grants to newly established women’s crisis centres. Locals are encouraged to make a matching donation in money or in-kind services. Contact your local Status of Women Chairperson or president. You can locate women’s shelters at www.shelternet.ca.
Here are some ideas for providing financial assistance and in-kind services for shelters in your area:
- Hold silent auctions of crafts and items donated by teachers and community members;
- Hold draws, raffles, and other events to raise money;
- When members come to local events, ask them to bring useful items for women and children in crisis centres (The centres will be able to tell what they need.);
- Encourage members to collect samples given out by hotels (shampoo, soap, etc.) when travelling. These can be collected in the staff room and given to the shelter once a year;
- Encourage members to donate used clothing and household goods to the local shelter;
- Organize a collection of backpacks filled with school supplies for children living in shelters;
- Hold casual Fridays and donate the money to the shelters. Have draws, raffles, and other events, which raise money;
- Call your local shelter to find out ways of volunteering time in lieu of money.
Board/Shelter Protocol
Children from shelters attend the schools in their neighbourhoods. This offers another opportunity to provide non-monetary support to women’s shelters. Find out what the arrangement is between the district school board and the women’s shelter. If no protocol exists, work with the district school board and the shelter to develop one.
How have you helped women's shelters in your area? Let us know by emailing Carol Zavitz.
Suggestions for Activities in the Classroom
Adapted from materials developed by the December 6th Coalition in Waterloo.
Jr. and Sr. Kindergarten:
Discuss their right to safety both at home and at school. Make a class booklet titled “At home and at play...You should feel safe every day."
Grades 1-3:
Have children make a picture depicting a time when they have felt safe from danger. Compare it with a picture of feeling unsafe. Discuss the differences.
Grades 4-6:
Discussion topics could include the right to a safe environment, how to resolve disputes without violence or disrespect and where to go for help if an uncomfortable or unsafe situation presents itself.
Grades 7-8:
Have students write lyrics or poems to commemorate the significance of December 6th and the impact of violence. Discussion topics could include the right to a safe environment, the right to be treated equally, and with respect and zero tolerance for violence in school.
Do you have suggestions for other classroom activities? Let us know by emailing Carol Zavitz
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