November 25 is the International Day to End Violence Against Women, and the first day of the #16 Days Campaign. Why November 25th? I heard the Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the UN in Vienna tell the story of Las Hermanas Mirabal, or the Mirabal Sisters. Patria, Minerva and Antonia Mirabal, killed in the Dominican Republic on November 25, 1960, were activists who opposed dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo. (Note: A fourth sister, Adela, known as Dedé, was not politically active at the time. She died at age 88 in 2014 and expressed that it was her role to "tell their story.")
When Trujillo came to power, their family lost most of their fortune. They believed that Trujillo would send their country into economic chaos. Minerva was especially passionate about ending the dictatorship of Trujillo, and got involved in the anti-Trujillo movement. Two of the sisters were jailed and tortured. The sisters' husbands were political prisoners in Santo Domingo. Undaunted, they continued to try to end Trujillo's dictatorship. He ordered their killings, and on November 25, 1960, he sent men who intercepted the three sisters, beat and strangled them, then pushed their car off a mountain road to make it appear that they had died in an accident.
The deaths of the Mirabal sisters caused outrage around the country. News reports about their deaths caused the Dominican people to become more aware of their cause. This public support and awareness contributed to Trujillo's assassination six months later in 1961.
It's important to know the human story behind the annual commemoration on November 25. When we think about ending violence against women, let us remember how violence and intimidation have been used against women activists in politics and journalism, human rights defenders, and environmental activists. Let us follow the examples of the courageous and indomitable sisters whose sacrifices helped end a dictatorship.