
Self-defence, organisation and struggle to 25 November (1) 

2024-11-01 12:04:36


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	Butterflies' struggle rises with “Jin jiyan azadî”&nbsp;

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	Derya Ceylan&nbsp;

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	NEWS CENTRE - 25 November is commemorated as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which was born out of the Mirabal sisters' struggle against the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. Today, women around the world are not only inspired by the resistance of the past, but also continue to fight for their rights through movements such as #MeToo, Ni Una Menos and Jin, jiyan, azadî.&nbsp;

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	Every year, 25 November is commemorated around the world to stop violence against women and raise awareness against gender inequality. This day is based on the Mirabal Sisters, who resisted the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic and were tortured and murdered in 1960. Their courage has become a symbol of the struggle for women's rights around the world.

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	The Mirabal sisters' struggle was declared the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women” in South America in 1981 and officially recognised by the United Nations (UN) in 1999. Today, women are not only inspired by this resistance in the past, but also continue to fight for their rights through global movements such as #MeToo, Ni Una Menos and Jin, jiyan, azadî.&nbsp;

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	In the first part of our dossier, we draw attention to both the resistance against violence against women from history to the present day and the power of the organised struggle of women's movements.&nbsp;

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	Who were the Mirabal sisters?

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	Patria, Minerva and María Teresa Mirabal were born in Salcedo, a small town in the north of the Dominican Republic.&nbsp;

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	The four siblings of the Mirabal family were aware of politics and the struggle for freedom from an early age. But three brothers in particular became pioneers in the resistance against the regime of Rafael Trujillo.&nbsp;

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	Each of them had different personalities and approaches, but they were united by the same goal: To overthrow Trujillo's repressive regime and liberate the country.

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	Minerva Mirabal: Leader and revolutionary

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	Minerva was the most prominent of the sisters and was also an educated lawyer. Raising her voice against Rafael Trujillo's dictatorship from a young age, Minerva made history as the first Mirabal sister to directly confront the dictatorship. An incident in which she came face to face with Rafael Trujillo is one of the unforgettable moments of history.

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	At a meeting, she refused the inappropriate overtures made to her by Rafael Trujillo and directly confronted the repressive power of the dictatorship. After this incident, Rafael Trujillo began targeting the Mirabal family.

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	Minerva was recognised in the intellectual circles and universities of the Dominican Republic as one of the leaders of the resistance against the Rafael Trujillo regime. Although she studied law, she was not allowed to practice law due to repression by the regime.&nbsp;

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	Despite this, Minerva continued her political activism and never stopped resisting Rafael Trujillo's dictatorship. Known in political circles and the revolutionary movement as ‘Las Mariposas’ (The Butterflies), Minerva became one of the ideological and political leaders in the fight against the dictatorship.

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	Patria Mirabal Spiritual Leader

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	Patria was known in the family as the most pious and calm sister. However, her involvement in the resistance was motivated by her convictions and desire for justice. In 1959, during a mountain trip, Patria decided to join the resistance against the regime of Rafael Trujillo after witnessing government forces massacring people while trying to suppress a rebellion. This event left a deep imprint on her soul and led to a life dedicated to the struggle.

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	Patria became a spiritual leader in the revolutionary movement. Her piety and strong convictions gave deep meaning to the resistance movement. For her, the struggle was not only political, but also ethical and spiritual. As a moral force within the movement, Patria continued to resist Rafael Trujillo's repression tirelessly.

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	María Teresa Mirabal: Young fighter

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	María Teresa was the youngest of the sisters. Although initially distant from the resistance movement, under Minerva's influence she gradually became an important part of the struggle against the regime.

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	Through her participation in the revolutionary movement, María Teresa became a symbol fighting not only for the future of her country, but also for the social freedom of women. Joining the revolutionary movement at a young age, María Teresa became known as a defender of both her country and personal freedoms.

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	María Teresa's courage and commitment became a symbol of resistance, especially among young people. Following in the footsteps of her brothers, she became part of the revolutionary movement and actively fought against the repression of the Rafael Trujillo regime. Her struggle became a powerful example that women can play an active role in political and social life.

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	14 June Movement and ‘Las Mariposas’

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	The Mirabal sisters were among the founders of the ‘June 14 Movement’, a secret resistance organisation against the regime of Rafael Trujillo. This movement was an initiative to support the revolutionary struggle in the Dominican Republic in 1959.&nbsp;

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	The name of the movement refers to the failed revolt of 14 June 1959, a turning point in the struggle against the dictatorship. Following this rebellion, the struggle against Rafael Trujillo became more organised and the Mirabal sisters became one of the most important figures in this struggle.

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	‘Butterflies’ and symbol of resistance

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	The Mirabal sisters, known as ‘Las Mariposas’ (The Butterflies), played important roles in the resistance movement. This code name represented their symbolic importance in the revolutionary movement.&nbsp;

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	As one of the ideological and political leaders of the movement, Minerva played a major role in spreading revolutionary ideas. The 14 June Movement involved armed resistance to the repressive regime of Rafael Trujillo and public awareness activities.

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	The aim of the movement was to overthrow the oppressive regime of Rafael Trujillo and bring freedom to the Dominican people. To this end, the Mirabal sisters contributed both to the spread of revolutionary ideas and to the development of organisation.&nbsp;

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	The regime of Rafael Trujillo was extremely brutal; the resistance was under constant surveillance and subjected to repression. The Mirabal sisters were arrested, tortured and their families were persecuted many times during this period. However, despite all these pressures, the sisters never gave up their struggle.

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	The massacre and its aftermath: 25 November 1960

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	The murder of the Mirabal sisters took place on 25 November 1960. The sisters were returning from La Cumbre when they were stopped on the road by agents sent by Rafael Trujillo. Detained, the Mirabal sisters were first raped, then tortured and murdered. Their bodies were then thrown off a cliff in what was made to look like a car accident. This massacre caused outrage among the Dominican people and the international community.

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	The murder of the Mirabal sisters increased hatred of the Rafael Trujillo regime and was considered one of the events that hastened the end of the dictatorship. Rafael Trujillo was assassinated a few months after this event, on 30 May 1961. The sisters' resistance played a major role in winning freedom in the Dominican Republic.

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	The legacy of the Mirabal sisters: The struggle for women's rights and human rights

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	The struggle of the Mirabal sisters and their murder made their name a symbol of the struggle for human rights and women's rights around the world. In 1981, 25 November was adopted by women's rights defenders in South America and the Caribbean as the ‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women’. In 1999, the United Nations (UN) officially recognised this day and ensured that it is celebrated worldwide to raise awareness against violence against women.

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	The legacy of the Mirabal sisters lives on as an inspiring symbol of women's struggle for gender equality, human rights and freedom. Today, the name ‘Butterflies’ symbolises women's quest for freedom, equality and justice and inspires women's rights movements around the world.

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	The rise of women's movements from the 1980s to the present

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	The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, organised in memory of the Mirabal sisters, was a turning point for women's movements. In the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, feminist movements gained momentum around the world and women's struggle for human rights became stronger.&nbsp;

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	Especially in South America, many women's organisations were established under the symbol of ‘Las Mariposas’. These organisations argued that violence against women was a social issue and should be recognised as a violation of human rights.

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	In 1993, the United Nations (UN) adopted the ‘Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women’. This document recognised violence against women as a universal human rights issue and gave governments the responsibility to prevent it, protect women and punish perpetrators. This was a time when women's movements gained a stronger voice in the international arena.

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	Beijing World Conference on Women and the Istanbul Convention

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	The 1995 Beijing World Conference on Women was a turning point in the struggle for women's rights. The Beijing Platform for Action adopted at the conference emphasised that women should have equal rights in social, economic and political life. It accelerated the mobilisation of governments worldwide, especially in the fight against violence against women. This platform is one of the most effective documents calling on governments worldwide to combat violence against women.

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	First Congress of Latin American and Caribbean Women

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	At the First Congress of Latin American and Caribbean Women, held in Bogota, the capital of Colombia, on 18-21 July 1981, 25 November, the date of the murder of the Mirabal sisters, was declared the ‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women’. Women's movements in South America and the Caribbean launched a large-scale struggle against violence against women on this day. The congress has played an important role in the international solidarity platform of feminist movements in the region.

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	Istanbul Convention&nbsp;

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	Signed in 2011, the Istanbul Convention was recognised as one of the most important internationally binding documents on combating violence against women. This convention became an important instrument for the protection of women around the world and was seen as a major achievement by women's rights defenders.

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	Ni Una Menos Movement&nbsp;

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	The Ni Una Menos (We Will Not Lose Another Woman) movement, which began in Argentina on 3 June 2015, sparked mass protests against femicide (feminicide) and gender-based violence. The movement quickly spread across South America and created a strong network of solidarity among women's rights defenders. These protests raised global awareness of the massacres of women and the state's inadequate response.

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	#MeToo Movement

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	The #MeToo movement, which started in the US in 2017 and grew worldwide, spread on social media with the statements of women who were harassed or raped by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The #MeToo movement created a wave of awareness around the world and made visible the sexual violence that women face at work, in public and in their private lives. The movement has led to global legal reforms and brought many high-profile individuals to justice.

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	Las Tesis Movement and ‘Un Violador en Tu Camino’ Performance

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	The performance ‘Un Violador en Tu Camino’ (A rapist on your way), organised by the feminist art collective Las Tesis in Chile on 25 November 2019, began as an art protest criticising violence against women and the state's silence against this violence. This performance was born as a strong reaction against the blaming of women when they are subjected to sexual violence. The performance soon spread around the world and became a powerful symbol in women's rights movements. This action, which started in Chile, has been repeated in many countries around the world, from Turkey to France.

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	White Wednesday Movement

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	In 2017, women in Iran launched a protest against mandatory headscarf laws by wearing white headscarves or posting photos of themselves without them on digital media. This digital campaign, initiated by Masih Alinejad, quickly resonated around the world and became an important step in Iranian women's struggle to defend their bodily autonomy. The ‘White Wednesday’ movement continued to be recognised as a symbolic form of protest in the struggle for women's rights in Iran.

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	Women's March

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	The Women's March in the US on 21 January 2017, the day after Donald Trump's presidential inauguration, went down in history as one of the largest mass protests to draw attention to women's rights, migrant rights, LGBT+ rights and other social justice issues. Millions of people around the world came together to speak out against the gender inequality faced by women. The march initially started as a protest against Donald Trump's sexist and discriminatory rhetoric, but quickly became a global women's rights solidarity.

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	National Women's Strike: ‘Un Día Sin Nosotras’

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	In response to the increasing massacres of women (feminicide) in Mexico and the state's inaction against these massacres, women did not go to work on 9 March 2020 and launched a national strike under the slogan ‘Un Día Sin Nosotras’ (A Day Without Us).

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	The strike became one of the largest mass actions against gender-based violence in Mexico and strongly emphasised the important role women play in the workforce and in society. The impact of the strike reverberated throughout Mexico and demonstrated the power of feminist movements.

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	The strike not only affected labour, but also social, cultural and economic spheres, underlining the key role women play in society. Mexican women took to the streets to reiterate the demands of the ‘Ni Una Menos’ movement and emphasised the need for the government to take more serious action against the massacres of women.

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	Sarah Everard Protests

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	In the United Kingdom in 2021, the abduction and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard by a police officer sparked outrage across the country. The protests in London centred around women demanding their safety in public spaces, criticising police attitudes towards gender-based violence and arguing that the government was negligent in this regard.

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	The murder of Sarah Everard brought to the agenda once again the feeling of insecurity that women feel when going out at night. The demonstrations in the UK opened up a global debate on women's demands for safety in public spaces and led to the UK government taking a tougher stance against its negligence in this area. While women expressed that they did not receive adequate protection when faced with violence, initiatives such as the ‘Reclaim the Streets’ movement came to the fore.

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	Jina Emînî and the ‘Jin, jiyan, azadî’ Movement

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	The death under torture of Jina Amini (Mahsa Amini), who was detained by government forces in Tehran, the capital of Iran, on 16 September 2022 for not complying with the headscarf rules, triggered mass protests across the country. This event turned into a large-scale popular revolt against the long-standing violations of women's rights and the compulsory headscarf practices in Iran.

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	Repressive regime protested&nbsp;

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	The slogan of these protests was ‘Jin, jiyan, azadî’ (Women, Life, Freedom), inspired by the Kurdish women's struggle for freedom. Jina's murder led women in Iran to shout their demands for freedom and equality to the world, and this slogan was echoed in women's rights movements around the world.&nbsp;

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	During the protests, many women showed their reaction to this system by cutting their hair or burning their headscarves. In addition, slogans such as ‘Death to the dictator’ and ‘No to the compulsory headscarf’ were used to protest against the repressive regime of the state.

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	The resistance of women in Iran quickly gained an international dimension. While large-scale protests were organised in many countries from Europe to North America, Asia to South America, the Iranian diaspora became one of the pioneers of this movement.&nbsp;

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	International human rights organisations and world governments harshly criticised Iran for the violence it used against the protests. In this process, many artists, athletes and academics also supported the struggle of women in Iran. In particular, the Iranian national football team's decision not to sing the national anthem during the 2022 FIFA World Cup was seen as a strong symbolic support for the resistance.

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	The resistance is growing

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	While the legacy of the Mirabal sisters continues to inspire women's struggle for freedom and equality around the world, the resistance that started with the slogan ‘Jin, jiyan, azadî’ draws attention as a process that continues today. While 25 November is commemorated as the global day of awareness against violence against women, women with the Jin, jiyan, azadî movement continue their resistance against oppression both locally and internationally with the slogan of self-defence, organisation and struggle. This process continues women's struggle against gender inequality and strengthens the idea that women's freedom is the cornerstone of social freedom. Women continue to defend their rights and keep the spirit of resistance of 25 November alive in a more organised way every day for their demands for equality and justice.

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	Tomorrow: Rose theory and self-defence

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