International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
Next: November 25, 2026
Orange for a future free from violence.
The story
Where it comes from
The date was first chosen in July 1981, when the first Feminist Encuentro for Latin America and the Caribbean, meeting in Bogotá, named 25 November a day against violence towards women. It honours the three Mirabal sisters of the Dominican Republic, Patria, Minerva and María Teresa, who opposed the Trujillo dictatorship and were killed on 25 November 1960. On 17 December 1999 the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 54/134 and made it the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
How it's celebrated
The day opens the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, a campaign started by activists at the first Women's Global Leadership Institute in 1991, which runs until Human Rights Day on 10 December. The UN's UNiTE campaign asks people to wear or display orange, its colour for a future free from violence. Landmarks are lit orange and communities hold walks and talks; anyone can mark it by finding out where help is available locally and sharing it.
Did you know
- The 16 Days campaign has grown to more than 6,000 organisations in over 180 countries.
- In Kuala Lumpur, the UN and UNFPA light KL Tower orange on 25 November, and in 2025 it stayed orange for an hour every night until 10 December.
- Public outrage at the Mirabal sisters' deaths helped build the movement that ended the Trujillo dictatorship within a year.
Coming up next
- Thanksgiving (United States) · November 26, 2026
- World Olive Tree Day · November 26, 2026
- International Day of Engagement in Science for Sustainable Development · November 27, 2026
- Founding of the Royal Society · November 28, 2026
- Proclamation of Independence Day · November 28, 2026
- Birthdays of C.S. Lewis and Louisa May Alcott · November 29, 2026