International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

The U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa notes that November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.  The first Feminist Encuentro for Latin America and the Caribbean held in Bogota, Colombia on July 18, 1981, declared November 25 as a day to internationally commemorate efforts to stop violence against women.  In December 1999, the U.N. General Assembly believed it was necessary to highlight this issue and adopted resolution 54/134, proclaiming November 25 to be the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

The United States would like to commemorate this important day by recognizing the noble work of all the women’s rights organizations in Honduras and particularly the work of the Center for Women’s Rights and the Center for Women’s Studies.  Among these groups are countless activists who have shown great courage to advance the rights of women in Honduras.

Violence against women is a problem in Honduras, just as it is in every other nation.  The U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa has been following the human rights situation closely since the coup d’état on June 28, including the human rights situation of women, and believes there has been a general deterioration in the protection of human rights in Honduras since the coup.  As a result of this deterioration, the Embassy has reported an erosion in what little protection existed before June 28 for the human rights of vulnerable communities, including women.  The violations against women since the coup d’état include allegations of rape and other types of sexual abuse of anti-coup protestors by police.  The U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa has expressed its grave concern about this erosion in the protection of human rights of women and demanded that those guilty of these crimes be brought to justice.

Since 1991, the world has set aside the 16 days that link November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, with December 10, International Human Rights Day, to underscore the idea that violence committed against women because of their gender is a fundamental violation of human rights.  The assaults on women cannot be blamed on a few aberrant perpetrators.  Rather, these diverse forms of violence stem from the entrenched and enduring low status of women and girls around the world.  Ending the violence - treating the causes as well as the symptoms - requires not only that we increase prosecutions of perpetrators but also that we work towards women's complete equality in every sphere of life.

Gender-based violence is not solely a women's issue; it is a global challenge to human rights and security.  As an international problem, it requires international solutions.  And the United States is committed to working with governments, multilateral institutions, and a wide range of private partners -from activists and advocates, to survivors and civil society leaders- to end impunity for those who perpetrate these crimes, and to ensure that laws that recognize women's equality and right to be free from violence are implemented fully.  President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have made this issue a top priority for American foreign policy and are committed to ending violence against women in the United States, where too many women are still mistreated and abused.

Women are the key to progress and prosperity in the 21st century.  When they are marginalized and mistreated, humanity cannot progress.  When they are accorded their rights and afforded equal opportunities in education, health care, employment, and political participation, they lift up their families, their communities, and their nations.