The Mirabal sisters were political activists from the Dominican Republic who courageously opposed the brutal dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo (1930-61).  Known in the opposition movement as "Las Mariposas" (The Butterflies), Patria Mercedes Mirabal (February 27, 1924 – November 25, 1960), Maria Argentina Minerva Mirabal (March 12, 1926 – November 25, 1960) and Antonia María Teresa Mirabal (October 15, 1935 – November 25, 1960) were viciously assassinated on November 25, 1960 by order of Trujillo. 

The three sisters have since become a global symbol of the crisis of violence against women in the world.  Their lives were commemorated with the annual International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25th , first created at the Latin American & Caribbean Women's Encuentro in 1980 in Colombia , and then recognized globally in 1999 with passage of a resolution by the United Nations.

Each year on November 25th, many NGOs, international organizations and governments around the world organize activities to raise public awareness of the epidemic problem of violence against women, which limits women's opportunities to attain political, social, and economic equality.

Below is a reflection on the Mirabal sisters from a writer from the United States:

Butterflies

The love, passion, fortitude, and dreams of justice and peace for our children
remain strong intercontinental current connecting women worldwide who struggle for basic rights.

by Susan L. Williams

"On November 25, 1960, Patria, Minerva, Maria Teresa, and their driver, Rufino de la Cruz, were murdered on the outskirts of Puerto Plata. They lost their lives struggling to restore democracy and the rule of law to their beloved Dominican Republic . Their legacy will live forever in our hearts and the lessons they taught us cannot be forgotten. Six months after the Mirabals' death, the Trujillo regime came crumbling down when he was killed on the night of May 30, 1961."

As I snapped Bazooka bubble gum and road my bike in Kansas in 1953, Minerva Mirabal, twenty-six years old, defied Rafael Leonidas Trujillo in the Dominican Republic . I was the daughter of an Air Force Colonel raised to believe in the moral rightness of the United States of America . She was a youth raised in a culture that turned away from the true horrors of the Trujillo regime. Minerva was also unaware of the true nature of her government. Both of us came from families of social status, and both of us were blind to the realities of our governments. Though I was fortunate to live in a democracy, my government was in cahoots with her dictator.

For Minerva the reality of Trujillo 's true nature dawned over a period of a decade with exposure to outside influences when she and her sisters left home for school. There Minerva met friends whose relatives had been murdered by Trujillo 's forces. Subsequent abuses to her family, and to herself, led to her joining the resistance movement. She and her sisters became known as "Las Mariposas" - The Butterflies. Their political activism, and ultimately the murder of three of four sisters, ignited a nation to overthrow one of the most brutal dictators in history.

For me it took much longer to sort out the true nature of my government's clandestine activities, whose actions hide behind the purity of democratic ideals. It has been difficult to become informed about destabilizing actions various administrations used to impact the destinies of other governments around the world - destinies like those that affected the Mirabal sisters.