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| Tuesday, 30 November 2004 |
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The unforgettable butterflies by Lionel Wijesiri Women's activists have marked November 25 as a day against violence since 1981. The origins of 25th November as the International Day go back to 1960, when three Mirabal sisters from the Dominical Republic were killed for their political activism. They became a symbol of the crisis of violence against women first in Latin America and then throughout the world. The three sisters, Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa were born to Enrique Mirabal and Maria Mercedes Reyes (Chea) in 1924, 1927 and 1935 respectively in the Cibas region of the Dominican Republic. All three were educated in the Dominican Republic, Minerva and Maria Teresa going on to achieve university degrees. All three sisters and their husbands became involved in activities against the Trujillo regime. Trujillo Molina (1891-1961), was dictator who controlled the Dominican Republic for more than 30 years. As a cadet in the Dominican army from 1918 to 1921, he was trained by members of the U.S. Marine Corps (the Dominican Republic was then under U.S. military occupation). By 1927 Trujillo was a brigadier general and commander in chief of the Dominican Republic's army. In 1930 he was elected president without opposition. The following year Trujillo organized the Partido Dominicano (Dominican Party), which controlled Dominican politics for the next three decades. During that time Trujillo was absolute dictator as generalissimo of the army. The Trujillo regime brought economic stability to the country but allowed the people no political freedom whatsoever. Finally, military leaders assassinated Trujillo on May 30, 1961. The Mirabal sisters were political activists and highly visible symbols of resistance to Trujillo's dictatorship. As a result, the sisters and their families were constantly persecuted for their activities. Over the course of their political activity, the women and their husbands were repeatedly imprisoned at different stages. Minerva herself was imprisoned on four occasions. In January 1960, Patria took charge of a meeting that eventually established the Resistance Movement. When this plot against the tyranny failed, the sisters and their comrades in the Movement were persecuted throughout the count. Two problems In early November 1960, Trujillo declared that his two problems were the Church and the Mirabal sisters. On 25 November 1960, the sisters were assassinated in an "accident" as they were being driven to visit their husbands who were in prison. The accident caused much public outcry, and shocked and enraged the nation. The brutal assassination of the Mirabal sisters was one of the events that helped propel the anti-Trujillo movement, and within a year, the Trujillo dictatorship came to an end. The sisters, referred to as the "Unforgettable Butterflies" have become a symbol against victimisation of women. They have become the symbol of both popular and feminist resistance. They have been commemorated in poems, songs and books. Their execution inspired a fictional account "In the Time of the Butterflies" on the young lives of the sisters written by Julia Alvarez. It describes their suffering and martyrdom in the last days of the Trujillo dictatorship. In 1999, by resolution 54/134, the United Nations General Assembly designated November 25, as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and urged governments, international organizations and non- governmental organizations to arrange activities designed to raise public awareness of the debacle. Awareness In all societies violence against women is a complex phenomenon deeply rooted in the way society is composed - cultural beliefs, power relations, economic power imbalances, and the masculine ideal of male dominance. In adopting the 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the UN General Assembly defined the problem as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life." Throughout the world there has been increasing awareness of violations of the rights of women and girls. And yet violence against women - one of the most shameful of all human rights violations - continues to be widespread. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth. It occurs in times of armed conflict and in peace, in the home, in the workplace and in the streets. It stands in the way of our progress towards equality, development, peace and all human rights for all. In Sri Lanka, we have enacted tough legislation banning violence against women - legislation covering the home, workplace and society at large. We have introduced protection services and trained professionals to take effective action. We have launched campaigns to make all sectors of society understand that violence against women is unacceptable in any form. But we must do much more. We must review progress in implementing our programme and pledge ourselves to a special focus on violence against women in meeting the goals of gender equality. We must resolve to revise laws and continue to research the root causes of violence against women as a means to creating effective programmes against it. At the same time, we must not forget that there are thousands of women who are made to feel excluded, and who are pushed to the periphery of the community. Those who suffer from various forms of physical and mental torture often feel that they are a burden to society, and that they cannot contribute to the community. They all need the healing touch that will liberate them and make them feel included. This change in attitude will pave the way towards eliminating the violence they face. We need to extend this kind of support to restore to them the dignity and confidence that they have lost over time, becoming helpless and leading a life without any hope. We need to meet the physical and emotional needs of these people to make them whole so they can return to the centre of society. |
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