Although women now have the same rights as men before the law, women's everyday lives are still marked by inequality. For centuries, men have ruled over women as if they were property. With your possessions, you can do as you please. This has had a devastating impact on women. UN Secretary-General António Guterres puts it this way, "Sexual violence against women and girls has its roots in centuries of male domination. Let's not forget that the gender inequalities that fuel rape culture are essentially a matter of power imbalance."
As long as women are seen as inferior, they suffer under the power of men. This power imbalance exists in all aspects of life, but it becomes especially noticeable when we are dealing with violence against women. Those of us who have not experienced violence ourselves may not consider it important. Perhaps some statistics from Germany will help to show how widespread violence against women is[1]:
In 2019, 115,000 women in Germany experienced intimate partner violence. In 2020, 139 women were killed by an (ex-)partner in Germany. More than every third day, one man kills his (ex-)partner. In Germany. More than once per hour, a woman is dangerously, physically harmed by her partner in Germany. In Germany, nearly 9,000 women experience rape, sexual assault, and sexual coercion each year. Only about 20% of women who experience violence use existing counseling and support services. Every third woman in Germany experiences violence at least once in her lifetime. That means more than 12 million women.
Survivors of domestic violence are often affected by: Craniocerebral trauma Acute and post-traumatic stress disorder Depression Anxiety disorders Dependency disorders Low quality of life Low self-esteem
During the 16 days of activism between the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Human Rights Day, the emphasis in 2021 is especially on intimate partner violence and femicides. Femicides don't just happen somewhere in countries where women are still seen as men's property. Statistically, one woman is killed by her partner or ex-partner every third day in Germany. Austria is at the top of the list in a European comparison of the numbers of femicides. Mostly, such crimes are called family tragedies, as if the dramatic relationships of the perpetrators with the victims could be considered mitigating circumstances. Women are killed primarily in their family environment.
Even in Italy, where about 100 women a year are killed by their partners, ex-partners, or lovers, femicides are often referred to as "family tragedies." The culture of possession often still lurks behind gender violence, as if the woman, be she a girlfriend, mother, sister, or wife, belongs to the man. Italy's legislation has also been backward for a long time: Only since 1996 has sexual violence been considered a crime against a person; before that, it was an offense against public order.[2] In general, the number of murders overall is declining, but the number of femicides remains almost constant. This is shown by statistics from all over Europe.
Spain is considered a pioneer in Europe when it comes to protection against sexual violence. A law against gender-based violence has been in place since 2004. For example, cases of violent acts committed by partners or ex-partners against women are heard in special courts. Children of those killed also receive special protection as victims of gender-based violence. Nevertheless, feminists are calling for a modernization of criminal law.
It is not surprising, then, that the Women's Ministries Department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Spain created and actively operates a platform against gender-based violence since 2018. The initiators believe that they can actively contribute through information to prevent violence against women. They say, "To inform is to know, to know is to avert, and to avert is, in many cases, to prevent something from happening."
The platform includes:
Information: on how to recognize and act on cases of abuse. How to help and accompany victims. How to set up a counseling service. Training: for pastors, leaders, and general members of the church. Experts explain the theological, psychological, and sociological aspects of gender-based violence. Prevention: Promoting and educating people to accept a model of equality between men and women according to the character of Christ and Christian principles. Evangelism: People are introduced to the Gospel through social solidarity. Congregations must be places of refuge where hope and restoration happen.
The platform has found its mission in the Bible: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy“ Proverbs 31: 8-9 NIV.
As part of this work, the Women's Ministries Department has created videos in 2021 to address the issue of violence against women. In the video Pistas de la Violencia de Género (Ways of Violence against Women)[3] four short enlightening episodes are shown. In them, through symbols and references, some general and basic characteristics and profiles of an abused woman are shown. They also go into detail about the abuser and show how a woman who faces violence manages to escape the abuse and live a liberated life.Another video is about child abuse in adolescence.[4] It is about bullying at school, child sexual abuse, and harassment through new technologies like cyberbullying etc. A video presenting the work of the Platform against Violence against Women through interviews with professionals from different fields is entitled ¿Conoces la Plataforma contra la Violencia de Género? (Do you know the Platform against Violence against Women?)[5] A series of training videos on gender-based violence like El Amor no duele (Love does not hurt) [6] is in preparation, the aim of which is to recognize and prevent abuse in the family and relationships between partners. Thus the platform trains counselors who can help affected women. I hope that their example will motivate us in other countries to become similarly active because violence against women knows no national borders. The voice of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Spain is being heard: Adventists say NO to gender-based violence.
COVID-19 has presented us with new challenges, because in this time of limited mobility, violence has increased and requires individual and collective solutions, not only on 16 days in a year but on all 365 days. Let us contribute to making the vision of a world without violence come true. This can only happen if we all pull together. It is no longer enough to just talk about it. We need action.
Hannele Ottschofski, from womansoutlook.blogspot.com
[1] UN WOMEN
[2] www.deutschlandfunk.de/frauenmorde-in-europa-wenn-das-geschlecht-gefahr-bedeutet-100.html