By Roz Hardie, Object CEO
Violence against women is “an extensive human rights abuse” across Europe with one in three women reporting some form of physical or sexual abuse since the age of 15 and 8% suffering abuse in the last 12 months, according to the largest survey of its kind on the issue.
A survey, published in 2014 by the FRA, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, , based on interviews with 42,000 women across 28 EU member states, found extensive abuse across the continent, which typically goes unreported and undetected by the authorities.
• One in 10 women have experienced some form of sexual violence since the age of 15, while one in 20 has been raped.
• One in 10 women have been stalked by a previous partner.
• Most violence is carried out by a current or former partner, with 22% of women in relationships reporting partner abuse.
• About one third (31%) who report being raped by a partner have been repeatedly raped, which the report defines as six or more times.
• Violence against women is one of the least reported crimes. Only 14% of women reported their most serious incident of partner violence to the police, while a similar percentage (13%) reported their most serious incident of non-partner violence.
• Just over one in 10 women experienced some form of sexual violence by an adult before they were 15.
This is the context in which WECAMS is campaigning against ‘jokey’ adverts about violence against women. Here is a recent example from Italy of extreme minimisation of gendered violence
The ad shows a punchbag in a pair of women’s lacey pants, the kind that are usually associated with sexy attire. The slogan, from how to keep fit to how to keep a husband.
in the context of many women literally being used as punchbags by their husbands or partners such adverts serve to minimise the seriousness of domestic abuse.
Wecams wants the European Commission to take firm action to regulate such material, in line with resolutions from the elected European Parliament.
Please sign and share our petition to help raise awareness of the widespread public concern about such materials.
