International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

November 25th is recognized globally as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, also referred to as the International Day Against Violence Towards Women.

This commemorative day traces back to the deaths of Patria, Minerva, and María Teresa Mirabal, who opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. After enduring months of torture, the three sisters were released, only to be murdered on November 25, 1960.

Since 1981, the anniversary of the Mirabal sisters’ deaths has been observed worldwide to raise awareness of violence and injustices faced by women.

In 1993, the United Nations adopted a Resolution on the elimination of violence against women, stating:
"Violence against women reflects historically unequal power relations between men and women, which have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men, preventing their full advancement. Violence against women is one of the key social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared to men."

By 1999, the United Nations officially designated November 25th as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Since then, governments and institutions have been called upon to use this day to raise public awareness of violence against women.

To mark this year's International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women* on November 25th, and the accompanying campaign period leading to Human Rights Day on December 10th, a group of students from the Master's program in Education ("Bildung in Europa") is organizing two events to spotlight the issue of violence against women*.

The events will take place on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, and Wednesday, December 4, 2024, from 4:15 PM to 5:45 PM. They are open to students from all disciplines, and no prior knowledge of the topic is required

Registration:
For organizational reasons, participants are asked to register in advance at:
https://eveeno.com/366441152

A trigger warning is included on the registration page—please read it carefully.

On August 1, 2024, the Istanbul-Convention—the Council of Europe’s Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence—celebrated its tenth anniversary since coming into force. This groundbreaking treaty is the first legally binding international instrument to address violence against women.

Currently, 38 states have ratified the Istanbul Convention. In 2023, the European Union became the first international organization to join the Istanbul Convention.

Germany ratified the Istanbul Convention in October 2017, with its provisions entering into force in February 2018. For information on its implementation: Deutscher Bundestag Wissenschaftliche Dienste.

The state of Schleswig-Holstein has developed and published recommendations for implementing the Istanbul Convention. Additionally, it has provided guidelines for media reportingto support precise and balanced coverage of violence against women.

UniSAFE-press-release_survey-results_DE.pdf.

Press coverage of the study: Lipinsky_WAZ_Artikel.pdf.

The podcast series "Hinschauen! - Unterstützung von Personen, die von sexueller Belästigung betroffen sind" by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz:
"This podcast series is aimed at all university members who, in their leadership or supervisory roles, are confronted with questions about how to best support individuals affected by sexual harassment and violence."

For more information on the project "Gender-based violence and institutional responses: Building a knowledge base and operational tools to make universities and research organizations safe":
UniSAFE – Gender-based violence and institutional responses.

Tools and resources for prevention and intervention: CEWS – Tools and Resources.

UniSAFE Toolkit

Newsletter of the bukof Commission ‘Sexualised Discrimination and Violence at Universities’, issue no. 11 of 26.10.2023: Newsletter SDG

Fachgesellschaft Geschlechterstudien: Discriminatory attacks in the context of research and teaching, a contribution to the question ‘What can I do?’

Contact point for attacks and unobjective conflicts in academic communication: Scicomm-Support, a joint service of the Federal Association of University Communication and Wissenschaft im Dialog.

Terre des Femmes

Orange the World

BMI (Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community) on violence against women:
BMI - Violence Against Women

BMFSFJ (Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth)

BMUV (Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection)

Verfassungsblog

German Women Lawyers Association (Deutscher Juristinnenbund)

Violence Against Women Helpline

German Institute for Human Rights

Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb)

Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik

WHO Report on Violence Against Wome

Throughout Schleswig-Holstein, there are numerous support and counseling services for women who have experienced or are affected by violence. A comprehensive overview and further information can be found on the following pages:

Violence against women continues to increase in Germany. This is evidenced by the situation report on "Gender-Based Violence Against Women Crimes 2023," presented on November 19, 2024, by Federal Ministers Faeser and Paus, together with Vice President of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) Kretschmer. press release

The report, released in this format for the first time, includes data on bias-motivated crimes against women as well as offenses predominantly committed to the detriment of women. For the full report: Gender-Based Violence Against Women Crimes 2023.

In 2023, over 250,000 people became victims of domestic violence, a 6.5% increase compared to the previous year. The majority of the victims are women, accounting for 70.5%, while the perpetrators are predominantly men (75.6%). These findings are part of the Federal Criminal Police Office’s Domestic Violence Report 2023. Full publication: Domestic Violence Report 2023.

Police-registered cases of domestic violence have risen by 19.5% over the past five years. However, many cases go unreported—often due to fear or shame—resulting in a significant dark figure of unreported incidents.To address this, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), in collaboration with the federal government, is conducting a large-scale study to uncover unreported cases. The study, titled "Living Situation, Safety, and Burden in Everyday Life," will survey 22,000 people across Germany, with initial results expected in 2025.

Globally, 81,100 women and girls were killed in 2021, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). More than half of them, around 45,000, were killed by intimate partners or family members, such as fathers, mothers, brothers, or cousins. This equates to one woman or girl being killed every 12 minutes by a family member. These findings are based on the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report: "Killings of Women and Girls by Intimate Partners or Other Family Members 2021."

Eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls in private spheres is also one of the goals of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Strategy (Sustainable Development Goals, Target 5.2), which aims to be achieved by 2030.

UN Women has also published facts and figures on violence against women, covering a range of dimensions, including:

UN Women has further identified risk factors contributing to violence against women and girls.

The so-called Virtue Law came into force in Afghanistan at the end of July 2024. The law goes beyond previous decrees and has achieved the status of a binding law, which effectively attempts to render women "into faceless, voiceless shadows". According to Medica Mondiale, the provisions cover all areas of life and affect access to education, work and healthcare in addition to the private sphere. As a result, women are increasingly isolated and cut off from important resources. For example, the law obliges women to cover their entire body, including their face, and severely restricts their freedom of movement. Women are only allowed to leave the house when accompanied by a male relative (mahram), making them prisoners in their own homes. In particular, the law prohibits women from raising their voices in public, be it through speaking, singing or other forms of expression. Recently, women are no longer even allowed to pray aloud in their own homes - not even in the presence of other women. They only have limited access to medical care. If the doctor treating them is male and no mahram is present, they are often not allowed to see the doctor.

Femicide refers to the killing of women because of their gender. In Germany, a femicide occurs every three days—globally, every 11 minutes. In 2021 alone, 113 women in Germany were killed by their partners or ex-partners, according to Federal Criminal Police Office data.

Femicide and violence against women are structural and societal problems. These crimes often stem from a perceived sense of ownership that (ex-)partners, fathers, or brothers believe they hold over women and girls.

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has compiled statistical data on femicides in Germany.

UN Women published an international report on femicide in 2021, stating:
"The findings of this report show that in 2021, around 45,000 women and girls worldwide were killed by intimate partners or other family members. This means that more than five women or girls are killed every hour by someone in their own family. While these numbers are alarmingly high, the true scale of femicide may be much higher." For the full report: Femicide 2021.

Medica Mondiale highlights the issue of war-related sexual violence against women and girls, emphasizing that such violence is a component of all wars and conflicts and must be actively addressed. Causes, effects, and countermeasures are presented: Sexualized Wartime Violence.

The Norwegian Refugee Council provides in-depth information on the use of rape as a weapon of war.

Human Rights Watch reports on widespread sexual violence in conflict zones, including a detailed account of sexual violence in the ongoing war in Sudan: Sexual Violence in Sudan.

The Federal Association of Women’s Counseling Centers and Women’s Emergency Hotlines (bff e.V.) defines digital violence as:
"An umbrella term for forms of gender-based violence that utilize technological tools and digital media (such as mobile phones, apps, internet applications, emails, etc.) and/or gender-based violence occurring in digital spaces, such as online platforms or social networks. Digital violence often complements or intensifies analog violence and existing dynamics of abuse."

More information is available in multiple languages on the bff e.V. website: bff-digital-violence-resources.

The NGO HateAid calls for EU-level measures to combat misogyny online.

ARD Media Library

ARD Audio Library

ZDF Media Library

Arte Media Library

Film Feature

The Equal Opportunity Office provides books on this topic, available for loan at DUB 009.

Cruschwitz, Julia / Haentjes, Carolin
Femizide.
Frauenmorde in Deutschland
(Femicide: Women Murders in Germany)
Stuttgart (Hirzel), 2nd revised and expanded edition, 2024
"In Germany, 132 women were killed by their (ex-)partners last year, according to police statistics. An attempted killing occurs every other day—and the dark figure is likely much higher. Hundreds of children become half-orphans every year, many of them witnesses to the killings. For this book, the authors interviewed survivors, experts, and family members while analyzing scientific studies. Their findings show that femicide is a societal problem, but there are viable ways to better protect women from male violence—if only we’d finally take them." (from the publisher)

Hedayati, Asha
Die stille Gewalt.
Wie der Staat Frauen alleinlässt
(The Silent Violence: How the State Fails Women)
Hamburg (Rowohlt), 2023
"Violence against women is one of the most pressing issues of our time and has significantly worsened in recent years. Family law attorney Asha Hedayati describes how the state leaves affected women without sufficient support and explains what needs to change to ensure institutions provide genuine protection. The author highlights how systemic failures at family courts, police stations, and youth welfare offices perpetuate the cycle of violence." (from the book cover)

Kaiser, Susanne
Backlash.
Die neue Gewalt gegen Frauen
(Backlash: The New Violence Against Women)
Stuttgart (Tropen), 2023
"From the U.S. Supreme Court overturning abortion rights to rising domestic violence cases, the journalist explores how recent events reveal a backlash against women’s rights. The book offers insights into breaking this vicious cycle." (from the publisher)

Clemm, Christina
Gegen Frauenhass
(Against Misogyny)
Berlin (Hanser), 2023
"All women can be affected. All men can be perpetrators." Lawyer Christina Clemm sheds light on the pervasive nature of violence against women and the societal and political changes needed to combat it. Clemm’s frustration is evident, as every third day in Germany, a woman is killed by her partner or ex-partner." (from the publisher)

Pantelmann, Heike / Blackmore, Sabine (Eds.)
Sexualisierte Belästigung, Diskriminierung und Gewalt im Hochschulkontext
(Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, and Violence in Higher Education: Challenges, Approaches, and Prevention)
Wiesbaden (Springer), 2023
"This book provides an overview of the complex issue of sexual harassment, discrimination, and violence (SGBV) in higher education and research institutions. Sixteen essays analyze its manifestations, legal aspects, and challenges in hierarchical academic settings, offering preventive strategies and solutions for individuals and organizations alike." (from the publisher)