Not A Holiday

The UN has declared November 25 to be the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. This topic easily deserves to be elevated to more than a mere day; it would be more appropriate if we made it a decade, or a century.

UN calls for strong action to eliminate violence against women

25 November 2005 The United Nations today marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women with calls for states to take legal action against the global scourge, for societies to change a mindset that permits such abuse, and for women themselves to stand up and speak out against a culture of shame.

“Violence against women remains pervasive worldwide, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a message. It is the most atrocious manifestation of the systemic discrimination and inequality women continue to face, in law and in their everyday lives, around the world. It occurs in every region, country, and culture, regardless of income, class, race or ethnicity.

Noting that leaders at September'’s UN World Summit pledged to redouble efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and the girls, he stressed that this required a change of the mindset, still all too common and deep-seated, that violence against women is acceptable.

That means leadership in showing, by example, that when it comes to violence against women and girls, there are no grounds for tolerance and no tolerable excuses,” he declared. [...]

Domestic violence, or intimate-partner violence, is a serious public health problem, a huge drain on economic productivity, and is a much more serious problem than other kinds of terrorism.