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October 25 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, after 61 years ago three political activists from the Dominican Republic were assassinated. Since then, various efforts have been made to end this type of violence. However, the problem is far from being eradicated. More than 4,000 femicides occurred so far in 2020, only in Latin America, highlights the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
Thousands of women demonstrate around the world on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The protesters have come out to express their rejection of the various crimes against this part of the population in various nations, from Iraq, Russia and Colombia, among other countries.
“I was subjected to violence regarding early marriage. I got married when I was 14 years old, and then I separated because my husband’s family was violent with me (…) According to our customs and traditions, this age is appropriate for marriage, according to their point of view, but that point of view is wrong, “said Dalal Naser, who joined the marches in Basra, Iraq on Thursday.
On the eve of the commemoration, in Colombia dozens of activists joined by artists and singers raised their voices to reject gender violence throughout the Latin American region.
“‘Not raped, not raped’, there are many beautiful things in those songs: ‘Never again will any woman be outraged, her vulvas intact, owners of her pleasure, never again by force, forced to do anything,” replied the well-known Colombian singer Andrea Echeverri.
And it is that, despite international efforts, the world has a great debt pending to eradicate violence against women. Among the most affected areas is Latin America, where at least 4,091 femicides were registered so far in 2020 alone, according to data from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
The figure represents a relative reduction in cases, with respect to the 4,576 reported the previous year, as civil organizations emphasize that not all crimes against them are reported.
ECLAC warned that femicide, as an extreme and lethal form of gender violence, continues to affect thousands of women and girls in the region.
In Latin America, the countries with the highest femicide rates in the last year appear: Honduras, with 4.7 per 100,000 women, the Dominican Republic, with 2.4 per 100,000 and El Salvador, with 2.1 also per 100,000.
Meanwhile, thousands of activists decide not to give up and fight the heinous crimes related to being a woman. But why is November 25 commemorated? That day in 1960 marked a turning point in the way of seeing aggression towards the female gender.
Three political activists from the Dominican Republic, Minerva, Patria and María Teresa Mirabal, known as “the Butterflies” were assassinated by order of the then dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo.
The motivation? The struggle of the three women to precisely eliminate the normalized mistreatment of the female gender and injustices. Then, thousands of people came out to protest and “the butterflies” became a symbol of the efforts to guarantee respect for the basic rights of women, such as life itself.
Almost half of women have been exposed to violence during the Covid-19 pandemic
A UN study, called ‘Measuring the pandemic in the shadows: violence against women during Covid-19’, reveals that 45% of women worldwide have been victims of sexist violence or are familiar with the situation . The scourge has been exacerbated especially by lockdowns and the economic crisis.
According to the report, 48% of women victims of violence have ages ranging between 18 and 49 years.
Unemployed women have also been particularly impacted by violence: 52% of them reported violent episodes, compared to 43% of women with work, and 50% of them say they feel unsafe being alone in public at night .
In addition, 25% of those surveyed indicated that conflicts in their homes have been more frequent amid restrictions and isolations due to Covid-19.
Behind the figures, compiled by the UN since April 2020, there are thousands of stories of the drama of gender violence without an effective response yet.
With Reuters and EFE
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