The International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women marks and remains such an important day. It is a devastating truth that violence against women and girls is one of the most persistent and common human rights violations. Acts of violence are committed against women and girls everywhere. UNWOMEN brought 18 November 2022 an article and it said as follows: “more than 1 in 3 women experience gender-based violence during their lifetime”. There is definitely a structural problem behind these devastating statistics, since so many women experience or will violence throughout their lifetime. It also shows that there is a lot to fight for still in the fight of eliminating violence against women.
Violence against women and girls comes in many forms and has many consequences for those who experience it. About violence against women and girls UNWOMEN says: “It has serious short- and long-term physical, economic and psychological consequences on women and girls, preventing their full and equal participation in society.“ This quote clarifies that violence comes in different types. Physical violence is the most visible form of violence. It involves causing physical harm to someone by kicking, hitting, grabbing them and more.
Then there is also sexual violence which includes sexual harasment and sexual assault. Sexual violence involves any sexual activity or act that is non-conesenual and committed against the person’s will. There is also psychological and emotional violence. Examples of psychological violence are threats, causing fear, intimidation and isolation. Examples of emotional violence are verbal abuse, destroying someone's self worth, name calling. These types are less visible but nevertheless also dangerous and harmful and should be taken deeply seriously. These types of violence can be present in domestic abusive relationships where it is your partner who commits the violence towards you, to maintain control over you. Domestic violence is also the most common type of violence that women experience. UNWOMEN refers to a study that found that: “In 2021, around 45,000 women and girls worldwide were killed by their intimate partners or other family members. This means that, on average, more than five women or girls are killed every hour by someone in their own family.”
The fight for elimination of violence against women is essential for a more sustainable world. This international day is also closely related to the sustainable development goals by the UN. Regarding this international day and what it stands for, it is relevant to allude to the 5th goal of “Gender Equality”. Violence against women is a barrier for gender equality. Gender-based violence against women causes bad mental and reproductive health, harmful power dynamics and in general worsens the standard of living. Ultimately, it becomes a barrier for gender equality and women’s equal participation in society. Therefore, it is important to prioritize and keep fighting for the elimination of violence against women.
When fighting for the elimination of violence against women, it is essential to acknowledge that women and girls are different and are treated differently in society. Factors like class, ethnicity, race, disability, sexuality and in connection with gender, make women’s and girls’ position in society completely different. This theory and approach, that gender is intersected with other social categories and make up unique experiences, is called intersectionality. Unfortunately, we see that women and girls who are also refugees, migrants, disabled or LGBTQ+ are more vulnerable to gender-based violence. It is important to have an intersectional approach when fighting against gender-based violence, so we do not overlook less privileged women and girls.
So what can we do to eliminate violence against women? There is a lot we can do and on different levels in society, both as individuals, groups and societies. UNWOMEN states: “Evidence shows that the single most important driver of policy change is a strong and autonomous women’s movement - making feminist mobilization in the face of anti-rights backlash a literal matter of life and death.” Movements generate change. They send a clear signal to the people in charge that change is needed and demanded. Hence, movements can act as a catalyst for the implementation of new laws that protect women better against violence. Demonstrations and the implementation of laws are more direct ways for generating change. Subsequently, it is also important to break down more indirect structures when fighting for the elimination of violence against women. There is a need for change in how violence against women is talked about. It’s discourse. Specifically, there is a really harmful discourse around victim blaming women. This discourse indicates that women are “responsible” for the violence that is committed upon them. A really harming discourse there is, is by asking: what did you where? it is your own fault because you were so drunk? why didn't you say no? To women who are victims of sexual assault or harassment. UNWOMEN refers to a study that found that: “Less than 40 per cent of the women who experience violence seek help of any sort.” The fear of victim blaming is harmful for the woman or girl in many ways and can it make impossible to stand up and demand justice if they feel like they are blamed and not being taken seriously.
In general it is important to acknowledge that there is a problem. We have improved in many ways over the years. In many ways women have better conditions and opportunities than before. However, it is a harmful barrier for change if we think that we are at the best we can get. Because that would be far from the truth. There is still a lot to fight for.
Sources:
- https://www.un.org/en/observances/ending-violence-against-women-day
- https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/in-focus/2022/11/in-focus-16-days-of-activism-against-gender-based-violence
- https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/faqs/types-of-violence
- https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures
- https://eca.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-5-gender-equality-0
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Amy-Mazur/publication/288623012_Women's_movements_feminism_and_feminist_movements/links/5799dbfa08ae33e89fb79d6b/Womens-movements-feminism-and-feminist-movements.pdf#page=207 (p. 193-204)