Violence against women is paralysis in society’s body. Violence is harm, no matter what you call it. As women are the pillar of this society and the womb for change, development, and creativity, it is our duty to support them and support their rights to refuse and choose.
“Violence in any part of society affects us all. From scars on the next generation to the weakening of the social fabric.”
– António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General.
The human instinct has been built on peace and rejection of violence, but when this violence turns into a habit, a societal trait or a predominant culture, this instinct will inevitably weaken and you will become accustomed to scenes of violence of all kinds. Violence against women is a coffin that mourns the splendor of life on the coffin of silence and makes societal peace release its last rattle in the dusk of inhumanity.
The United Nations General Assembly in 1999 designated 25 November as the international day for the elimination of violence against women and has inspired associations and organizations around the world to raise public awareness of the issue and oppose it.
Violence against women is defined as: “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.”
This date was selected to honor the Mirabal sisters, three political activists from the Dominican Republic who were brutally murdered in 1960 by the order of the country’s ruler, Rafael Trujillo. [1]
According to the World Health Organization, one in three women experiences violence. [2]
Violence against women remains an obstacle in the way of achieving equality and building peace. For example, but not limited to, violence against women manifests itself in physical, sexual, and psychological forms, encompassing:
The consequences of violence against women affect women’s mental health directly. In addition to causing a severe disruption in the community’s cohesion. [3]
However, the existence of this international day allows most women and girls to raise their voices in the face of violence directed against them and increases their belief that the society with its youth, institutions, and associations, are all, side by side, with women supporting all their rights. It is everyone’s responsibility to preserve everyone, and this is what the SDG promise makes clear, “we will leave no one behind.”
We may find what is being done on this day is simple but the little things add up and affect our respect towards this case. On top of it, take off the robe of the silence of all forms of violence against women.
The first step in counteracting violence is to recognize it and then reject it. Every time the woman has to face her problems silently, but this time we strive to join hands in order to make her voice heard and her presence a reality.
Campaigns, events, and publications can widely spread awareness about the dangers of violence against women and its negative impact on community cohesion. Just as a spot of light may have an effect in dissipating the darkness, we can put this issue under the human microscope, shed light on it with truth and advocacy and seek to counteract it and prevent its recurrence.
In fact, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women constitutes a hope for some women that their voices are heard and their problems are understood. A hope that represents a lifeline from drowning in the sea of violence and crime against women and humanity. A rope that connects them to reality free from violence coercion and oppression.
We, at Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative, believe in the right of women to live a dignified life, free of violence and based on development and equality. We seek through our goals to mobilize advocacy for building peace and eliminating violence.
♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.
Also read:
References:
[1] UN
[2] WHO
[3] UN