25 November: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

In South Africa, a woman is killed every 6 hours by an intimate partner. Women and girls represent 80 percent of the estimated 800,000 people trafficked annually, with the majority trafficked for sexual exploitation. In Sao Paolo, Brazil a woman is assaulted every 15 seconds. Approximately 250,000 to 500,000 women and girls were raped during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

On 25 November 2009 the world commemorates the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Two recent resolutions of the UN Security Council stand out in the fight to end sexual violence against women.