The United Nations recognizes every November 25th as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Enacted in 1993 by the UN General Assembly, the observance seeks an end to acts of physical, sexual, and psychological violence committed against women.

The UN declaration on the matter called violence against women “an obstacle to the achievement of equality, development, and peace” and that it “constitutes a violation of the rights and fundamental freedoms of women and impairs or nullifies their enjoyment of those rights and freedoms.”

The declaration went on to list types of violent acts, including battery, sexual abuse, rape, female genital mutilation, among others.

The observance also kicks off 16 days of activism, when ends on December 10, International Human Rights Day.

Earlier this year, the La Paz Maternity and Reproductive Health Center in Iloilo City held lectures on a variety of issues as part of the Women’s Month observance, which takes place throughout March.

Among the topics discussed included breast and cervical cancers, entrepreneurship for women, and issues pertaining to violence against women and children./WDJ