International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is celebrated annualy on November 25. Background Women's rights activists have observed 25 November as a day against gender-based violence since 1981. This date was selected to honour the Mirabal sisters, three political activists from the Dominican Republic who were brutally murdered in 1960 by order of the country’s ruler, Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961). On 20 December 1993, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women through resolution 48/104, paving the path towards eradicating violence against women and girls worldwide. On 7 February 2000, the General Assembly adopted resolution 54/134, officially designating 25 November as the International day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. What is considered violence against women Violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding it. It can manifest in physical, sexual and psychological forms, encompassing: intimate partner violence (battering, psychological abuse, marital rape, femicide); sexual violence and harassment (rape, forced sexual acts, unwanted sexual advances, child sexual abuse, forced marriage, street harassment, stalking, cyber- harassment); human trafficking (slavery, sexual exploitation); female genital mutilation; and child marriage. Within the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women issued by the UN General Assembly in 1993, defines violence against women 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 in private life.” This affects women at all stages of their life, including education, employment, and opportunities. Some women and girls, such as those in vulnerable situations or humanitarian crises, migrants, LGTBI, indigenous people or those with disabilities, face greater risk. Violence against women continues to be an obstacle to achieving equality, development, peace as well as to the fulfillment of women and girls’ human rights. All in all, the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - to leave no one behind - cannot be fulfilled without putting an end to violence against women and girls. Did you know? 38% of women have experienced online violence and 85% have witnessed digital violence against others. Misinformation and defamation are the most prevalent forms of online violence against women. 67% of women and girls who have experienced digital violence reported this tactic. 90 – 95% of all online deepfakes are non-consensual pornographic images with around 90 per cent of these depicting women. 73% of women journalists reported experiencing online violence. Fewer than 40% of countries have laws protecting women from cyber harassment or cyber stalking. This leaves 44% of the world’s women and girls – 1.8 billion – without access to legal protection. Theme for 2025 The 2025 theme campaign is UNiTE to End Digital Violence against Women and Girls. Violence against women and girls remains one of the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations in the world. Globally, almost one in three women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their life. Even more devastating is the fact that one woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by their intimate partner or family. It is a scourge that has intensified in different settings, but this year, the campaign for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women focuses on one in particular: the digital realm. Violence against women on online platforms is, today, a serious and rapidly growing threat that seeks to silence the voices of many women—especially those with a strong public and digital presence in fields such as politics, activism, or journalism. It is a form of violence on the rise due to weak technological regulation, a lack of legal recognition of this type of aggression in some countries, the impunity of digital platforms, new and fast-evolving forms of abuse using AI, movements opposing gender equality, the anonymity of perpetrators, and the limited support for digital victims. This 2025 campaign UNiTE to End Digital Violence against Women and Girls wants to mobilize all members of society: governments must end impunity through laws that penalize it; technology companies must ensure the safety of platforms and remove harmful content; donors must provide funding so that feminist organizations can work to eradicate this violence; and people like you must raise your voices to help survivors. The world approaches the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 2025 – a visionary blueprint for achieving gender equality and women’s and girls’ rights everywhere. What is digital abuse? Digital tools are increasingly being used to stalk, harass, and abuse women and girls. This includes: Image-based abuse/ non-consensual sharing of intimate images – often called revenge porn or leaked nudes. Cyberbullying, trolling, and online threats. Online harassment and sexual harassment. AI-generated deepfakes such as sexually explicit images, deepfake pornography, and digitally manipulated images, videos or audio. Hate speech and disinformation on social media platforms. Doxxing – publishing private information. Online stalking or surveillance/tracking to monitor someone’s activities. Online grooming and sexual exploitation. Catfishing and impersonation. Misogynistic networks – e.g.manosphere, incel forums. These acts don’t just happen online. They often lead to offline violence in real life (IRL), such as coercion, physical abuse, and even femicide – killing of women and girls. The harm can be long-lasting and affect survivors over a prolonged period of time. Digital violence targets women more than men, across all walks of life, but especially those with public or online visibility – such as activists, journalists, women in politics, human rights defenders, and young women. The impact is even worse for women facing intersecting forms of discrimination, including race, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Source : United Nations Related resources Activism against Gender-Based Violence Online safety 101: What every woman and girl should know