by Shila Meyer Behjat
50 years ago today, the brutal assassination of three of the four Mirabal sisters from the Dominican Republic shook the world.
Since then, the 25th November has become International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
First established by women’s rights groups in 1981, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women was officially recognised by the United Nations in 1999.
This day also marks the beginning of the 16 days of Activism Against Gender Violence, which culminates, on December 10, in International Human Rights Day.
But even after half a century of campaigns to raise awareness of ongoing violence against women, we still share the same potential fate as the three sisters: Violence against women is still prevalent in every part of the world.
The World’s Women 2010 report from the UN claims that, depending on locality, 59 percent of all women will be subject to some form of violence during their lifetime.
The report found that violence against women is a universal phenomenon but that current statistical measurements of violence against women provide only a limited source of information.
In Europe the majority of cases of violence against women are domestic violence, consisting of physical and/or psychological aggression in a relationship.
According to a 2009 survey by Women’s Aid, domestic violence accounts for between 16 per cent and one quarter of all recorded crime in the UK alone.
One in four of our readers have been victims of violence
Even though these bleak figures come as no surprise to us, we were little prepared, at soFeminine.co.uk, for the results of our own international survey on violence.
Among our readers and readers of our international sister sites in France, Spain, Italy and Germany, a quarter or more of respondents have experienced violence in their relationship, almost every fifth woman has been violently attacked in her family, and some 12-20 percent have been raped at least once.
80-90 percent of respondents said that violence affects women from all social groups and backgrounds. While an average of 40 percent believe that violence against women is not a result of alcohol abuse, psychological stress or poverty but rather the desire to dominate the other person.
Pierrette Pape, researcher at European Women’s Lobby (EWL) agrees: “Violence has to do with inequality between women and men. Alcohol or unemployment do not constitute reasons for violence, they just make it worse as we proved in our recent report.”
The joint EWL/Oxfam study shows that the economic recession has lead to an increase of domestic/intimate relationship violence, trafficking in women for sexual exploitation, and a rise in prostitution and violent attacks on prostitutes.
“What was striking is that nevertheless, some women especially in Spain still believe that forced sex in a relationship is acceptable, that a woman from time to time just needs to give in to a man’s needs”, expert Pape says analysing the results of our survey.
The staggering majority of all women participating in the survey think governments are not doing enough against violence towards women.
Our readers recognised, too, that violence comes in many forms from domestic abuse to prostitution.
Even in countries like Spain and the UK where violence against women has been high on the agenda in the past years, women feel that there has not been enough done to promote awareness and end violence against women, and what little has been achieved does not go far enough.
To improve situations for victims, some 20 percent want tougher laws, French participants also think better training for police and magistrates to cope more sensibly with victims of violence could help.
A clear majority of participants however ask for more protection measures and more infrastructures for victims of violence, for example, eviction of a violent partner, access to safe houses, and witness protection.
“Poor financial support of women’s shelters and protection measures leaves women exposed to violence and deprives them and their children from living violent-free lives which is a fundamental right of every human being”, researcher Silvia Sinnmayer from European lobbying group WAVE (Women against violence) agreed.
Exclusive report reveals: Thousands of women without protection
Back in 1987, an EU report recommended the establishment of one place in a women’s shelter for every 10,000 inhabitants.
It stated that the recommendation should be implemented in every country so as to protect women and to enhance their safety.
soFeminine.co.uk were given exclusive access to the latest WAVE report set to be released at the end of the year and can reveal, that even after 23 years, only Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway have implemented the benchmark number of shelter places.
All other countries have failed to provide enough women shelters or other protection measures such as a nation-wide, multi-lingual, 24/7 hotline for victims.
According to the advanced WAVE report the disappointing results continue throughout Europe:
- In Italy more than 5,000 shelter places are missing
- There is no 24-hour hotline for victims of violence in France
- Germany has no nation-wide hotline for victims of violence at all
- The UK is missing 1,153 shelter places leaving women without protection.
Positive findings in the UK included one national 24-hour hotline and several mutli-lingual hotlines.
“The best legal measures to protect women are worthless if they are not met by sufficient financial resources”, Sinnmayer argues. “WAVE therefore presses for securing financial backing of women shelters and service points.”
The EWL/Oxfam report revealed that recovery policies to overcome the current economic downturn and cuts to funding of public services and NGOs have created conditions whereby women and girls have fewer resources to get safe, to flee, and to protect themselves and their children.
Violence against women at work is the only form of violence against women which is addressed legally by the European Union.
But while legal frameworks are well in place, sexual harassment and discrimination at work remain one of the big taboos of our societies.
Across Europe, our readers consider sexual harassment, discrimination and work place bullying as expressions of violence against them.
However, only a small number of participants in our survey on violence (an average of two-five percent) claim that to have been affected by it.
Pierrette Pape from EWL disagrees: “It might be a matter of definition. Traditionally male dominated structures and behaviours at work, coupled with liberal values such as competition, profit-led activities on the labour market, trivialise male violence at work or in situations related to work and therefore make it very difficult for women to detect and denounce such violence.”
A recent European survey showed that more than three times as many female as male employees report having experienced sexual harassment in the previous 12 months.
According to the EU, sexual harassment is discrimination on the grounds of sex and therefore prohibited. Women should become more aware of their situation at work to actually identify and recognise violence and marginalisation.
The survey: Who participated?
In total 3,262 women from France, Germany, UK, Spain and Italy participated in the survey.
The majority of participants were between 25 and 49 years old and earn an average of £2,000-£3,000 per month.
Around half of the women have children.
The survey was being conducted within two weeks leading up to 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Find out more:
www.saynotoviolence.org
www.womenlobby.org
www.wave-network.org
