Yusra Siddiqui | Awaz e khwateen
Violence against women is not a private family matter, a cultural norm, or an accident of history. It is a structural violation of human dignity, rooted in patriarchy, power, and prejudice. Every year on November 25, the world observes the ‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women’, a date chosen to honour the Mirabal sisters Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa who were assassinated in 1960 for resisting the Dominican dictator, Rafael Trujillo. Their struggle symbolizes that women’s resistance to oppression has always been punished with brutality. In 1999, the United Nations declared, November 25 as the international day to raise awareness, mobilize societies, and demand action. This theme is particularly timely. Technology, once seen as a tool of empowerment, is now increasingly weaponized to humiliate, silence, and target women. Our challenge is not simply to punish violence it is to prevent it, offline and online, by changing mindsets and building awareness. Across continents and cultures, women face violence not because of weakness, but because patriarchal systems place them in subordinate positions. Violence is physical, sexual, emotional, economic, psychological, and digital. The home, often celebrated as a “safe” space, becomes the most dangerous location for millions of women. It is not a problem of a particular nation it is a global problem. Some major facts are- One in three women experiences physical or sexual violence in her lifetime, Most violence is committed by intimate partners husbands, boyfriends, fiances, Conflict zones weaponize women’s bodies through rape, trafficking, and forced pregnancies and Cyber harassment and digital abuse worsen mental health outcomes for women and girls.
These are not isolated episodes. They are symptoms of deeply rooted gender norms that identify women as property, as caretakers without rights, or as beings whose worth depends on obedience. Patriarchal institutions condone abuse silently. Communities protect perpetrators in the name of “family honour.” Media often sensationalizes violence instead of challenging the structures that produce it. Violence is not an event. It is a system.
CEDAW: The Turning Point in International Women’s Rights There can be no global conversation about eliminating violence against women without referencing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979. Often termed the “International Bill of Rights for Women,” CEDAW was revolutionary because it demanded not only equality in law but equality in real life. CEDAW obligates states to- Change discriminatory laws and policies, Protect women in marriage, education, employment, and civic life, Ensure access to justice, Guarantee effective remedies against discrimination and prevent harmful cultural practices. CEDAW’s most transformative contribution came in General Recommendation No. 19 (1992), which explicitly recognized gender-based violence as a form of discrimination against women. For centuries, domestic violence was dismissed as private. CEDAW shattered this myth, the body of a woman is not a site for punishment, it is a human rights subject. CEDAW insists that equality is meaningless unless women feel safe. Safety is not charity, it is a right.
Digital Violence: The New Frontier of Control
The 2025 theme – “UNITE! To End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls” is a recognition that violence has adapted to the twenty-first century. Digital violence includes: Cyberstalking, Revenge pornography, Deepfake pornography, Harassment and threats, Dating app coercion, Image based extortion, Non-consensual recording, Hate speech and misogynistic trolling, Doxxing (publishing personal information), Women journalists, activists, scholars, and public figures face systematic attacks meant to silence them. Girls in schools are blackmailed with edited images. Survivors of sexual assault are targeted through online rumours. The digital space amplifies a centuries-old message: control women’s voices, control their lives.
India’s Attempts: Law Reform and Social Realities
India is a signatory to CEDAW and has developed strong legal frameworks related to the protection of women rights and with time many strong legal provisions have been established. But the implementation gaps remain massive. Some landmark laws include:
1. Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005)- Recognizes physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, and economic abuse, It gives women residence rights, protection orders, and maintenance, However, many women fear filing complaints due to stigma, dependency, or family pressure.
2. Criminal Law Amendment Act (2013)- It was Passed after the Nirbhaya case, It expanded the definition of rape Criminalized stalking and voyeurism, Introduced harsher punishments for sexual assault, Recognized acid attacks, yet conviction rates remain low due to delays, weak investigations, and cultural victim-blaming.
3. Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act (2013)- It mandates Internal Complaints Committees but in practice, many offices don’t establish them, and survivors fear retaliation. The legal framework exists, but survivors often don’t know their rights, and families discourage them from reporting. Laws printed in books cannot protect women silenced at home.
Why Violence Persists
Despite decades of feminist movements, violence persists because of many factors that exist in society like- patriarchy turns women into property and social stigma punishes victims instead of perpetrators. Economic dependency traps women and families silence abuse in the name of “honour.” This is where your core perspective becomes central: laws cannot work without awareness. Awareness is not a government slogan, a one-day speech, a symbolic post on social media it means -Women know their legal remedies, girls know what consent means, boys learn respect, not dominance, relatives stop silencing survivors, Police treat cases seriously, Schools speak openly about gender equality, Community leaders condemn abuse. Families encourage women to compromise. Courts demand “proof of trauma.” Employers force women to withdraw complaints. This is why survivors constantly question themselves , (Maybe it was my fault. Maybe I provoked him) and the important thing is that patriarchy is not the absence of law, it is the erosion of confidence.
My Perspective: Awareness Over Symbolism
India has laws, India has helplines, India has courtrooms but What we lacks is social consciousness. Until we- Teach boys that masculinity is empathy, not power, Educate girls that dignity is their birthright, Train police to protect instead of interrogate, Equip judges with gender sensitivity, Empower survivors with financial independence, Ending violence is not about charity or pity, It is about redistributing power. It is about dismantling generations of conditioning that portray women as liabilities, temptations, or trophies. The 2025 theme ending digital violence is not futuristic. It is immediate. If we fail today, we raise millions of girls into a culture of fear tomorrow. Violence against women does not begin in the courtroom; it begins at home, in conversations, in silence, in the digital shadows. Laws punish violence, but awareness prevents it. We must invest not only in legislation, but in education, empathy, and accountable institutions. The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is not a holiday it is a demand. A demand that society listen, recognize, and act. Ending violence against women physical, emotional, or digital is not an option. It is a human responsibility.