Helen's Blog /

In 1999, the United Nations established the day of November 25th, as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women to commemorate the murder of the three Mirabal sisters. Ms. Dedé Mirabal still lives in the same household they all grew up. She has been responsible for keeping their legend alive. Over eighty, the ony surviving Mirabal sister recently released her first and only book about her sisters and events called "Vivas en su jardin" ("Alive in their garden"), published by Vintage Español/Random House Publishing.

By the late 1950s Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo's reign of terror over the Dominican Republic had lasted nearly thirty years. And yet the Mirabel sisters, led by feisty, passionate Minerva, would come to represent the greatest threat to his regime. Daring to stand up against him, they soon became folk heroes to the oppressed Dominican people. Their cold-blooded murder at the hands of Trujillo's thugs would prove to be the fearsome dictator's ultimate undoing.

Although not attending the European Premiere, The film's director from Dominican Republic, Juan Delancer, explained in answer to complaints of undue violence and crudeness of the film, that he wanted to show his country how it was during the reign of terror ot the 30_year dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, known as "Mi Jefe".

Mirabal sisters

In the fifty years that have passed since the sisters' murder, different kinds of groups have emerged in order to fight violence against women from the different sectors of society. Similarly, laws against domestic violence have been promulgated.

In the Dominican Republic, one such organisation is the Pacam, which receives and takes care of 8 cases of violence a day. Working for battered women, the agency provides psychotherapeutic help, legal assistance and medical treatment for the victims.

Presided by Her Excellency Rosa Hernandez de Grullo, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the Dominican Republic to UNESCO, the organisation equally enlists police help for the victims.

Dona Rosa Hernandez de Grullon and President of pacam see the trailer of Tropico De Sangre.