Six years after the General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, in December 1999, the United Nations have established the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women with the resolution 54/134. The day chose is not a causality, it evokes November 25, 1960, when during the dictatorship of Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, the three Mirabal sisters, opponents to the regime, where tortured and brutally assassinated.

Even though 55 years have passed, the violence against women is still a recurrent topic.  According to the estimates from the UN Statistic Division, one of three women in the world has suffered physical, psychological or sexual violence from a men.  Also, 2/3 of the victims of homicides committed by the spouse or another member of the family are women.

A type of violence often forgotten, but very common in Africa and in the Middle East is the female genital mutilation: 125 million of women are victims of this inhumane crime. Another 250 million of girls are victims of early marriage, when they are married before the age of 15.

The violence against women makes no distinction of age, race, social status, ethnicity, it strikes all of them. The causes are very simple, but the base of all of it is the lack of equality between man and women, lack of the acceptance of the women as an equal partner, worthy of respect.

In order to combat the world phenomenon of violence against women, a change of mentality is indispensable. Education has to teach respect and mutual acceptance, that recognizes the value and dignity of the person independently from the sex. Furthermore supporting the education of girls is much needed in order to create strong and independent female role models in the community. This role models can be a testimony of the capacity of women, tackling all prejudices and strengthening the self-esteem and self-consciousness of every women. An adequate education is the base for the future economic independence of every women, which is a key element to prevent many cases of violence.