16 Days of Activism Campaign

In 1960, on November 25, three sisters from the Dominican Republic were murdered because they were actively resistant to the dictator running their country. Patria Mirabal was 36 years old, Minerva was 33 and their little sister, Maria, was 25 years old when they were all killed. A year later, their resistance movement succeeded in overthrowing the dictatorship.

In 1981, November 25 was marked as International Day against Violence against Women. The world adopted the White Ribbon as symbol that violence against women is just not acceptable and since 1991, the commemoration has been extended into the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence - to draw the world's attention to the fact that women's rights are basic human rights.

The 16 Days of Activism begins on November 25 which was also eventually recognised by the United Nations in 1999 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The activism period includes December 1 (World AIDS Day) and December 6, the anniversary of the 1989 femicidal Montreal Massacre. It ends each year on December 10 - International Human Rights Day.

Hundreds of organisations in dozens of countries participate in the campaign every year and a separate global movement, the Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL), has also emerged. CWGL publicises the annual 16 Day Campaign and assists organisations around the world with planning activities to draw attention to the need to counter violence against women. It also offers resources such as the ‘Take Action Kit' and hosts an interactive website at http://16dayscwgl.rutgers.edu/

This is the time of year when governments should be lobbied to recognise that violence against women is a human rights violation, and that the legal systems of all countries should ensure women are effectively protected from this violation of their rights. This is the time of year when the media should be encouraged to inform the public of the extent and forms that violence against women take - and inform the public of ways to eliminate it.

Violence against women prevents women from taking control of their own lives - both in the family circle and in society at large. This violence stands in the way of women's development, of their education, and in the way of their equal participation in society. There can be no world peace while women cannot live with safety, not even in their own homes.

Soooo... will you wear a little white ribbon on your lapel from November 25 through December 10 to show your commitment to a new world in which women and girls can live free from the fear of violence at the hands of their menfolk?

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Follow the campaign:

Day 2: http://moirarichards.book.co.za/blog/2010/11/26/day-2/

Shukumisa: http://www.shukumisa.org.za/

Damaria Senne's Blog Party: http://damariasenne.blogspot.com/