November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The United Nations marks its 25th anniversary this year. It points out that violence against women and girls remains one of the most widespread human rights violations in the world.

Worldwide, almost one in three women has been the victim of physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner, sexual violence by another partner, or both, at least once in her life.

In 1999, in resolution 54/134, the General Assembly proclaimed November 25 the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and invited governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations to organize activities on that day to raise public awareness of the problem of violence against women.

In Quebec and Canada

Quebec has chosen to highlight the twelve days between November 25 and December 6. We can't forget that on December 6, 1989, at Montreal's École Polytechnique, 14 young women were murdered simply because they were women.

In 1991, following this mass feminicide, the Parliament of Canada established the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, which returns every year on December 6.

From November 25 to December 6, 2024, also follow the Conseil du statut de la femme du gouvernement du Québec on its social networks and visit the campaign page daily to learn more about different forms of violence against women. Each day, a theme on violence will be chosen: psychological, economic, workplace, judicial, obstetrical and gynecological, proxy, sexual, spiritual, cyber-violence, marital, coercive control, feminicide.

In the region

In the region, a café-rencontre will be held at the Centre de femmes La Moisson in Ville de L'Île-Perrot from 1 to 3 p.m., entitled Les formes de violence. No registration is required. Over the next 12 days, leading up to December 6, other activities will be held at the same center. Visit their website. The center can be reached at 514-453-8720.

For immediate help in cases of violence, call the Centre d'hébergement La Passerelle at 450-424-6010. This center serves the 23 municipalities of Vaudreuil-Soulanges. Demand is high, so services are offered in 5 areas: internal services (24/7 emergency line), external services (consultations, workshops, etc.), youth services, awareness-raising and Maison 2e étape (transitional housing).

Véronique Girard, General Manager of La Passerelle, sadly confessed that “ unfortunately, there's still a lot of work to be done in relation to violence, and not just in the marital sphere ”. She has this message to pass on: “even if the center is often full, I want to stress that women must dare to talk about it and call us; we will always try to find solutions, we can refer them to various resources, etc.”. She adds that it's important not to forget that the center also offers outpatient services, support without accommodation and youth services, among others.

In Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, the Centre d'aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuel (CALACS), known as CALACS La Vigie, offers support to people who identify as female or non-binary, from the time they enter high school. CALACS La Vigie offers help and telephone support, legal and medical accompaniment, a support group and a thematic group, meetings with family and friends, prevention and awareness workshops and training, as well as various collective actions. For information, call 450-371-4222. La Vigie serves the Beauharnois-Salaberry, Vaudreuil-Soulanges and Haut-Saint-Laurent RCMs.

All three have websites and/or Facebook pages detailing the services they offer.

According to UN Women,

- Worldwide, an estimated 736 million women - nearly one in three - have suffered physical and/or sexual violence. Young girls are particularly hard hit, with 1 in 4 being abused by their partner.

- 16% to 58% of women worldwide experience gender-based violence facilitated by technology. The “Z” and “Millennials” generations are the most affected.

- 70% of women in situations of conflict, war and humanitarian crisis suffer gender-based violence.

- Worldwide, more than 230 million girls and women have undergone female genital mutilation. This represents a 15% increase on the figures of eight years ago.

In 2024, the campaign “ Every 10 minutes, a woman is killed. #NoExcuse. UNiTE to end violence against women ” aims to draw attention to the exponential increase in violence against women, to re-launch commitments and hold political decision-makers to account.

The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, adopted 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 violence affects women at every stage of their lives, including education, employment and access to opportunities.

What's more, women and girls in vulnerable situations or experiencing humanitarian crises, such as migrants, LGTB+, indigenous populations or people with disabilities, are exposed to even greater risks.