Calay News
Tens of thousands of people worldwide took to the streets on Saturday for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, demanding changes in men’s behavior and increased resources and efficiency from governments.
In Chile, a stronghold of the feminist movement, banners in Santiago read, “Beware, machismo kills.” Approximately a thousand women marched, demanding government action, citing 40 femicide reports in Chile since the beginning of the year.
In Argentina, under the rallying cry “Ni una menos” (not one less), thousands protested in various cities, expressing concerns about potential setbacks in gender policies under the incoming government of ultraliberal Javier Milei. The demonstration in Buenos Aires became a repudiation of Milei and his plan to eliminate the Ministry of Women, Gender, and Diversity.
In Brazil, Copacabana Beach was adorned with pairs of women’s shoes, each pair representing a female name, to raise awareness about the 722 femicides recorded in Brazil in 2022, the highest since 2019.
Guatemala marked the “438” femicides reported since the beginning of the year, while in Mexico City, feminist causes intertwined with support for Palestine as protesters marched on Paseo de la Reforma with flags and signs in memory of women killed in the Israeli offensive on Gaza.
US President Joe Biden acknowledged the ongoing gender-based violence, stating, “The scourge of gender-based violence continues to inflict pain and injustice on too many people.”
Protests also occurred across Europe, with around 7,000 people marching in Madrid, Spain, under the banner, “It’s over; our struggle is global.” France, Italy, Bulgaria, and Turkey witnessed demonstrations, emphasizing the need for societal change.
In Turkey, where the government withdrew from the Istanbul Convention, an international agreement to protect women from domestic violence in 2021, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed the withdrawal had no impact on the country’s fight against violence against women.
Pope Francis, from the Vatican, stated that “violence against women is a weed that plagues our society and must be cut at the root” through educational actions that prioritize human dignity.
Globally, 82 femicides by partners or ex-partners occur daily, and approximately 31% of women experience physical or sexual violence at least once in their lives, according to 2018 WHO data. More than half (56%) of women and girls murdered die within the family sphere, compared to 11% of men and boys, according to a 2022 UN Women report.
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, observed on November 25, commemorates the murder of three Mirabal sisters, anti-Trujillo activists, in the Dominican Republic in 1960.
