November 25, International Day Against Violence Towards Women
- Space2groW
- Mar 23
- 3 min read
A migrant's perspective
On November 25, 1960, the sisters Minerva, Patria, and María Teresa—three political activists from the Dominican Republic—fought fiercely against the dictator Rafael Trujillo. The assassination of the Mirabal sisters was the event that triggered the fall of the Trujillo dictatorship.
In 1999, the National Commemorations in honor of the Mirabal sisters were established on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The resolution was established on the day, calling on governments, organizations, United Nations programs, NGOs, and others to organize awareness-raising activities on the issue of gender-based violence.
Another important milestone at the international level was the Istanbul Convention (2001), which focuses on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (2001). The Convention recognizes the specific nature of violence against women, including:
Recognizing that violence against women is a form of gender-based violence with structural roots, and that violence against women is one of the key social mechanisms through which women are forced into a subordinate position relative to men; noting with great concern that women and girls are frequently subjected to severe forms of violence such as domestic violence, sexual harassment, rape, forced marriage, crimes committed in the name of so-called “honor,” and female genital mutilation, which constitute a grave violation of the human rights of women and girls and a major obstacle to achieving gender equality; in view of the ongoing human rights violations during armed conflicts, which affect the civilian population—and women in particular—in the form of widespread or systematic rape and sexual violence, as well as the increased likelihood of gender-based violence both during and after conflicts;
The Istanbul Convention was fully ratified in Germany in February 2023. The articles under discussion that have prevented the implementation of the Istanbul Convention are Article 44 and Article 59, paragraphs 2 and 3. Both pertain to migrant and refugee women.
While this was a major step forward for migrant and refugee women, there is a significant structural problem with the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in local institutions such as the Foreigners’ Registration Office, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), the Youth Welfare Office, the judiciary, and so on. In practice, this means that women who are victims of domestic violence are being deported.
Institutions continue to bear responsibility for structural violence against women, with racism and discrimination being factors that particularly affect refugee women and migrant women.
The fact that all forms of violence affecting refugee women remain completely hidden makes them dramatically vulnerable. Everyday activities such as going to the bathroom, going to the kitchen, or going into the garden pose a risk of sexual assault for many women.
The system that is supposed to protect women actually serves as a barrier for many refugee women, leaving them vulnerable in practice. Many migrant women are simply unable to access the support system when it comes to domestic violence, sexual violence, protecting their children, and so on.
This clearly needs to change.
It is clear that we need to raise awareness in society.
It is clear that there are women who are subjected to violence, and no one sees them.
It is clear that the laws do not protect everyone equally.
Today, November 25, in honor of three Latin American sisters who were murdered because of their political beliefs and activism, we must fight against all forms of violence that affect women everywhere.
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