Society

November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The situation remains alarming. Women remain recurrent victims of domestic and family crimes.

On November 25, 1960, dictator Rafael Trujillo asked his henchmen to ambush the three Mirabal “butterfly” sisters, one of whom, Minerva, had refused the advances of the Dominican Republic's leader in 1949. They were brutally murdered, leading to an uprising of the population. The regime came to an end in 1962, following the dictator's assassination in 1961. This historical fact shows that criminal motivation towards women is often linked to a desire for domination and revenge after rejection. That's why we focus on the scourge of violence against women every November 25, the date chosen by the UN in 1999.

Family environment

In 2023, there were 51,100 intentional homicides of women by family members worldwide. According to a report by the Vienna-based United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the New York-based UN Women, 60% of women killed were killed by “their spouse or other family members”. This represents 140 feminicides a day worldwide, one every 10 minutes. Murder and all forms of violence against women are therefore most often perpetrated by a partner or male family member. For 2024, the theme of the day is placed under the hashtag #pasdexcuse / #noexcuse. Starting from the terrible fact that one woman in 3 suffers violence in her life.

All classes

This calamity affects all social classes. No region is spared. Violence against women has intensified in different contexts, including the workplace and online interactions. In addition to physical abuse, there's also psychological violence. This is characterized by control of movement, social life and budget, as well as constant insults and bullying. Within the family unit, this type of toxic relationship strongly affects children who witness verbal, domineering or physical violence. A European treaty, the Istanbul Convention, considers these children to be direct victims of domestic violence. Forced marriages and human trafficking are also part of gender-based violence.

(MH with Olivier Duquesne - Sources: RTBF, France24, BFMTV, United Nations & Wikipedia - Picture: © UN Women)