International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), violence is one of the greatest risks to women's health. It is the main cause of death or health impairment in women between the ages of 16 and 44, ahead of cancer and traffic accidents (Frauen helfen Frauen, 2020).

The origin of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is the abduction and killing of the three sisters Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa Mirabal. Together with their husbands, they were part of the "Agrupacion politica 14 de junio” group in the Dominican Republic, which rebelled against Rafael Trujilo's dictatorship in 1960. When the uprising against the dictatorship failed, they were all imprisoned. While the three women were soon released, the men remained in custody. On November 25, 1960, the sisters were strangled to death in prison after visiting their husbands in prison. (Pruitt, 2021)

Since 1981, the sisters have been commemorated on the anniversary of their deaths; since 1999, the United Nations has officially called for an International Day of Action on November 25 (Aktion Deutschland Hilft, 2021). In a Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women drawn up by the UN General Assembly in 1993, violence against women is defined as gender-based violence aimed at women, that can lead to, among other things, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering, as well as coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty (UN, 2020).

In Germany, Section 177 of the Criminal Code (StGB) states that “Whoever, against a person’s discernible will, performs sexual acts on that person or has that person perform sexual acts on them, or causes that person to perform or acquiesce to sexual acts being performed on or by a third person" is guilty of sexual assault or rape (Criminal Code Section 177 (1)). The principle "No means no" has been enshrined in law since 2016 (bpb, 2020).

According to statistics from the Federal Criminal Police Office, 80 percent of people affected by domestic violence in 2022 were women. According to data from the Federal Criminal Police Office, documented cases of domestic violence rose by almost ten percent in 2022. In 2022, over 150,000 cases of intimate partner violence were registered with the authorities, which equates to 432 cases a day, of those cases, 113 women were fatally injured as a result (Federal Criminal Police Office, 2020). The act of killing women based on their gender or because of certain ideas of femininity is referred to as femicide or feminicide (BFF, 2020.). The most common forms of violence against women are intentional bodily harm, followed by threats, stalking, coercion, and grievous bodily harm (Federal Criminal Police Office, 2022).

An important step for the protection of women was the "Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence" ("Istanbul Convention") in 2011 (BFF, 2020.). In 2019, the International Labor Organization (ILO) supplemented the ILO Convention against Violence in the Workplace (DGB, 2019).

With this hand signal, threatened persons can make themselves known to others discreetly and ask for help. To do this, with the hand raised, the thumb is placed inside over the palm, and visibly enclosed with the fingers to form a fist. In order for affected people to get help, it is important to spread the knowledge about the hand signal.

Last Updated: 11/25/2023

Sources (mainly in German)

Pruitt, Sarah (2021): "How the Mirabal Sisters Helped Topple a Dictator." History.com. Letzter Zugriff: 23.08.2023.

Aktion Deutschland Hilft (2021): "Internationaler Tag zur Beseitigung von Gewalt gegen Frauen." Aktion-deutschland-hilft.de. Letzter Zugriff: 23.08.2023.

Bundeskriminalamt. (2022). „Häusliche Gewalt - Bundeslagebild 2022“. (Wiesbaden). Bka.de. Letzter Zugriff: 22.09.2023.

Bundesverband der Frauenberatungsstellen (BFF, 2020): "Tötung von Frauen." Frauen-gegen-gewalt.de. Letzter Zugriff: 23.08.2023.

Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb, 2020): "Internationaler Tag zur Beseitigung von Gewalt gegen Frauen." Bpb.de. Letzter Zugriff: 23.08.2023.

Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB, 2019): "ILO-Übereinkommen gegen Gewalt und sexuelle Belästigung am Arbeitsplatz beschlossen." Frauen.dgb.de. Letzter Zugriff: 23.08.2023.

Frauen helfen Frauen e. V. (2020): "Gewalt gegen Frauen." Frauenhaus-dortmund.de. Letzter Aufruf: 23.08.2023.

Strafgesetzbuch § 177 (1): "Strafgesetzbuch (StGB). §177 Sexueller Übergriff; sexuelle Nötigung; Vergewaltigung." Gesetze-im-internet.de. Letzter Zugriff: 23.08.2023