According to a United Nations report, in 87 countries, between 2005 and 2016, 19 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 experienced physical and or sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner in the past year. These are shocking and sad figures to read. It is difficult to comprehend why anyone would want to hurt their loved one to put them through so much pain be it rape, domestic violence and female genital mutilation. International Day for the Elimination of Violence towards Women is marked on the 25th November. The date was chosen because it marked the anniversary of the 1960 assassination of women political activists – three of the Mirabal sisters – under the order of the dictator Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. Many initiatives are dedicated to combating violence against women, but they often find it difficult to be effective because they are many times underfunded. It is hoped that one day there will be gender equality to eradicate the violence that women suffer each day.
