The UAB commemorates 25 November with a dance show about male chauvinist violence

Espectacle de dansa pel 25N
On 26 November, the event to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women was celebrated at 1 pm at the Plaça Cívica.

18/11/2018

The Plaça Cívica hosted on Monday, 26 November the commemoration organised by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The event was presented by Vice Rector for Students and Employability Sara Moreno. Director of the Observatory for Equality Joana Gallego read the manifesto written by the "Women and Science" commission of the Inter-University Council of Catalonia.
 
The commemoration revolved around the choreography interpreted by the UAB's Aula de Dansa and directed by Laia Santanach. The show recalls the short film "Amores que matan" (2000), which served as inspiration for the film "Te doy mis ojos" (2003); both cinematographic works are by director Icíar Bollaín Pérez-Miguez.
 
Sunday 25 November is a day which aims to give visibility to male chauvinist violence suffered by women, from micro-attacks to femicides. In 2018, we reach the date with a total of 43 murdered women, 6 in Catalonia, according to data by the Ministry of the Presidency, Relations with the Cortes and Equality. The Ministry has also recorded a total of 971 women murdered since 1 January 2003.
 
This data, however, only encompasses the registered violence cases defined in the Organic Law for Integral Protection against Gender Violence, which only recognises as gender violence the ones carried out by who is or was a spouse of the attacked person or has some kind of affective relationship with her. Many feminist groups find this definition insufficient and promote the concept of femicide, understood as hate crime against women based on the simple fact of being women. Considering this definition, the Feminicidio.net group has recorded a total of 87 femicides since the beginning of the year.
 
Hence, on 25 November and the previous and following days, there will be different activities held all over the territory to give visibility to the fight against male chauvinist violence. The most noted is the demonstration carried out every year by institutions and feminist groups on 25 November at 11:30 am at Plaça Universitat.
 
 
In memory of "Las Mariposas"
On 25 November 1960, Patria, Minerva and María Teresa Mirabal, known by the nickname "Las Mariposas" within the activism community, were murdered based on their opposition to the Dominican dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo.
 
These brutal murders not only shook the Dominican society, but also most of the Latin American society. The memory of "Las Mariposas" was still present in the year 1981 when the Primer Encuentro Feminista Latinoamericano y del Caribe took place, where 25 November was established as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, in memory of the Mirabal sisters. It was not until 1999, however, that the UN officially appointed and recognised this day, which is commemorated all over the world.