November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, first established by the UN General Assembly in 1999. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon marked the day by calling on the international community to take “’meaningful’ action to prevent and respond to” violence against women and girls. He said such violence violated women and girls’ human rights and was a “serious obstacle to sustainable development” because of the physical, psychological and economic cost of violence for women, their families and their communities.
Compiled from: Violence against women ‘serious obstacle’ to sustainable development, Ban says on World Day, UN News Centre (November 25, 2016).