On October 17, 1999, the United Nations recognized November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and included it in the organization’s calendar of events, so that governments and people around the world can pay attention to this important issue every year.
Following the decision, a year later, in 2000, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, with the title “Women, Peace and Security”. The main themes of this resolution are related to the prevention of conflicts and hostilities against women within and between countries, ensuring the participation of women in political and social life, along with elimination of violence against them.
This resolution is the basis for ensuring that various acts of violence against women must not go unpunished and their perpetrators should ultimately be brought to justice.
These days, the world is witnessing the most severe and unprecedented violence against oppressed Palestinian and Lebanese women. Millions of women have lost their homes along with their children, and husbands, and sometimes their entire families, due to the brutal attacks of the usurping Zionist regime. They are also experiencing additional psychological stress these days. Many of these women themselves have suffered extensive physical injuries in these brutal attacks, bombings, and being left under the rubble.
The history of the unprecedented violence against oppressed Palestinian women dates back more than seventy-five years. The same days when they were displaced from their homes and livelihoods by the inhuman actions that violated international law and killed their family members in a devastating war, and this historical oppression still continues.
The world is still waiting for a serious response from the Human Rights Council, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and the Special Rapporteurs on Violence against Women.
This year, on the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women”, it is a great opportunity for the free people of the world to stand up against this severe, systematic and indiscriminate violence by defending these women victims of mental and physical violence, sending humanitarian aid and trying to lift the cruel siege, pursue the punishment of the perpetrators of this violence.
It is hoped that the world will soon witness the execution of the International Criminal Court’s ruling regarding the arrest of some of the perpetrators of these crimes and violence.
