Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Given its United Nations resolution in 1999, the day recognises and raises awareness of all forms of violence against women as a global human rights issue.
The date was selected in memory of the three Mirabal sisters, Dominican political dissidents who opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo and were brutally assassinated on Trujillo’s orders in 1960. When the sisters’ murders were uncovered after the death or the dictator, the anniversary of their assassination became a day of commemoration and reflection. IDEVAW also marks the beginning of a sixteen day period of activism against Gender Violence, which ends with International Human Rights Day.
United Nations statistics state that one in three women will be raped, pressured into having sex, beaten, or abused throughout their lifetime, but there are arguments that seeing as so much violence against women goes unnoticed or unreported, it is possible this figure is much higher. One in four women experience physical or sexual abuse during pregnancy and women aged between 15 and 44 are more at risk from rape and domestic violence than from car accidents, cancer, war or malaria.
Roughly a billion women will experience one of these abuses globally. Women are trafficked, forced into childhood marriages and exposed to rape as a tactic of conflict. Today is the day to not only remember all of this, but do something about it.
We at Funny Women support Refuge. After opening the world’s first safe house for women and children fleeing domestic violence in London in 1971, Refuge has grown to become the country’s biggest provider of specialist domestic violence services. They support over 3,000 women and children every day.
As the festive season is fast approaching, one of the things you can do to join us and support their fantastic work is to buy a gift for a woman or child staying in a refuge this Christmas. Women often show up at Refuge’s safe houses with little more than the clothes they’re dressed in.
Christmas is particularly difficult and in order to make it as special as possible for women and children in vulnerable situations Refuge are asking that you visit the John Lewis site and click on Buy a Gift. Gifts start from as little as £5 and the gift list closes on 18th December.
To find out more about the Refuge Christmas gift campaign click HERE.
