25 | - Número: 009 | 24 de Novembro de 2012

However old a phenomenon it is, however deeply it may seem rooted in our societies, violence against women is not a fatality – It is only a reality. It’s happening here and now, but it can be changed.

Violence against women is a disempowering factor The theme of this Conference is women’s empowerment, in an area, the Mediterranean, in which the situation of women needs to improve radically.
Empowerment implies many things: – Economic self-sufficiency – Freedom to choose one’s path in life – Freedom to decide whether to enjoy life on one’s own or to share it with someone; freedom to choose this someone – Political representation – the right to be represented, and even to run for a political representative post.

Women are achieving progress on all these fronts. They are gradually gaining more space in the society, in business, in politics. Yet, we all know that it’s not enough: we are still a long way from equality. While women are no longer only housewives, or somebody’s wives, too many of them still don’t fully enjoy their rights. And for some of them, the obstacle is represented by violence. Being free from violence is a pre-condition for the enjoyment of any right. There is absolutely no point in having innovative laws granting women more space in the workplace, equal access to education or even positive discrimination to ensure equality, if a woman is For these reasons, and as we are convinced that gender-based violence is the result of historically unequal power relations between women and men, we consider this as a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination against women. It is the result of inequality and it perpetuates inequality.

Changing mentalities The Istanbul Convention is an ambitious text. The goals it sets are not easy ones. Its ultimate aim is to change mindsets – both among women and men.
Article 12 on General Obligations makes this clear, as it requires “measures to promote changes in the social and cultural patterns of behaviour of women and men”, in order to eradicate prejudices and traditions based on the idea of inferiority of women or on stereotyped roles for women and men.
A change of mentality is necessary not only among men, but also among women, even those who are actual victims of violence. They should be aware of their rights and should never hesitate to report violence.
Unfortunately, under-reporting is endemic.
That is not Women used to have good reasons to hesitate – In the past, their reports were systematically underrated and they found themselves at risk of retaliation. Too often, violence against women was considered as a private matter and one that must be solved – that is, not solved – between the four walls of a home.
However, the situation is changing, and the Convention pushes and supports this change. Under its provisions, states should provide appropriate training for all professionals dealing with victims and perpetrators of acts of violence.
This means that police officers, social services staff, doctors, members of the judiciary, need to be trained on the prevention and the detection of violence against women. But also trained on equality between women and men, the needs and rights of victims, and of how to prevent what we call “secondary victimisation”. In other words, victims should never have the feeling that they are being judged or blamed for the violence they have suffered. On the contrary, they should be listened to carefully, assisted by competent professionals and protected.
Things are changing for the better, but as you see, much work remains to be done. We need to go further and to secure the progress that is being achieved.