Violence against women: where is society failing?
To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Tuesday, the UN published a landmark report on femicide. It states that a woman or girl is killed by a family member or intimate partner every ten minutes. The numbers are gruesomely high and yet "only the tip of the iceberg" according to the report. Europe's press reflects.
Questioning deep-rooted structures in daily life
A battle, El Periódico de Catalunya says, that will require immense patience:
“The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women has come round again, showing us that we have made no progress. ... And that this system is based on roles which make up the very foundation of our economy. ... Pushback against feminism is the manifestation of power structures that exist because they serve the interests of many. Inequality is not inevitable, it is a social construct that has been built up and maintained over centuries. ... The true revolution starts with questioning the deep-rooted structures in daily life.”
Financial blackmail
Economic violence against women deserves our attention, stresses Rachel Silvera in Alternatives Économiques:
“Such abuse is not very visible. It happens insidiously, it is not the subject of debate and it is difficult to measure. In most cases it involves the spouse blackmailing the victim, controlling the money she spends or depriving her of it altogether. ... Often very subtle at first, such abuse helps to gain an influence over women. It enables the male partner to take control of financial decisions and create financial dependency, limiting the victim's ability to provide for herself or her children.”
Things do not always have to be this way
Romanian MEP Gabriela Firea recalls in Adevărul the 51 women who have died as a result of femicide in her country this year:
“This day should not only be a moment of remembrance, but also of responsibility. We not only commemorate what we have lost, but also recognise what we can avoid. Because violence against women is not inevitable. It is not a national trait, not a 'fact'. ... Violence is a political, social and moral problem. The 51 women who were killed this year can no longer be saved. But in their name, we must protect those who continue to live in fear of becoming the next number on the list.”
Sweden not living up to its image
Sydsvenskan demands:
“Sweden, which likes to boast that it is the country in world where equality has flourished most, still has major problems with violence in close relationships, mainly directed at women. According to the National Council for Crime Prevention, one woman is murdered by her partner or ex-partner approximately every week, with some variation from year to year. The government has taken some measures, not least against honour-based violence and oppression. But much remains to be done to curb this everyday violence which continues more or less unabated.”
Rise of the far right ups the threat
El País calls for a cross-party pact:
“Societies have progressed, and are now able to detect and expose abuses that previously went unnoticed. ... But gender-based violence has hardly subsided, and progress is threatened by the worrying rise of the anti-feminist far right. ... The threat to abortion rights, mistrust of women who report abuse, the abolition of support and protection mechanisms and statements sympathetic to sexist murderers tarnish society as a whole. ... This development must be stopped. We need a state pact. ... Only by standing together can we put an end to this tragedy which has already claimed thousands of lives.”