"The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women" is a very important day with a very cumbersome name.
This name is difficult, not catchy, clumsy and it takes several takes to say it correctly.
And suddenly I realized that there is a close connection between the cumbersome and not clear enough name of this day, and its essence.
But first, some facts:
in 2018-2019, approximately 30,000 police files were opened on violent offenses against women by their partners.
Of the 30,000 cases of violence against a partner, 75% were closed.
Most of them (78%) because of the lack of evidence.
For about half of the suspects against whom a case was opened for violent offenses against their spouses in 2019, at least one additional case was opened for violent offenses against a spouse in the last ten years.
And six suspects of murdering women in 2018-2020 had previous convictions for violent crimes.
Nearly 600 cases were opened in each of the years 2018 and 2019, for violation of protection orders issued by the Court for the Protection of Women.
About half of the women who were murdered by a family member were known to the welfare services, although not necessarily on the background of domestic violence or in the period close to the murder.
And about a third of the women who were murdered previously filed a complaint with the police about violence from their partner, although not necessarily close to the murder.
Unpleasant, maybe dead, but the fear of death is alive and kicking (photo: screenshot, Facebook)
Already from these individual data we can understand the first essential gap between raising our awareness as a society and encouraging women to file a complaint - and the fact that the case is most likely to be closed due to lack of evidence - word for word - this is despite the fact that these data also indicate that those who were violent tend to be serial.
In practice, the "missing" vision is sometimes revealed only after the woman is murdered.
Perhaps the very awkwardness in the name of the day hints at a problem of understanding the essence of the thing itself, and in its simplification also lies the solution, because just as we are unable to find a clear name for this day, so is the problem itself.
To remind you, until 5 minutes ago it was called "murder on a romantic background" yes.
Obviously.
Romantic to die for.
Perhaps because of this helplessness, every year many bodies, corporations and municipalities launch different and important campaigns aimed at raising awareness, making information accessible, directing victims to aid centers and reporting hotlines if you have witnessed violence.
There is no doubt that the contribution of these campaigns is important - environmental intervention has already saved lives more than once.
But alongside the flood of important information, and the raising of awareness in society - the campaign of the municipality of Yam, smeared in red on the city benches - caught the eye - "Unpleasant died a long time ago".
Kicking campaign, but who?
Like any other campaign to raise awareness, the responsibility lies with the women this time as well.
To me, it reminds me a bit of the "Keep your glass" campaign.
The language of the appeal corresponds with the unwritten (and sometimes also written) laws of society, which take away from us from all sides, as women, the responsibility, and the blame as well, and all of this is seasoned with some witty play on words and a measure of humor, because the subject is heartbreaking, and above all, the campaign is burdened with instructions - a woman, do Something so it doesn't happen to you.
Campaign to prevent violence against women (photo: screenshot, Facebook)
Here are some other guidelines that might work, for example:
Man, watch your hands.
Man, you're on your way to jail (the video is of a man who loses his temper, gets arrested in front of everyone in the neighborhood, his life is destroyed and you see him crying and regretting what he did but it's too late because he's already in jail now. Below will be a phone number for a help center for violent men)
Maybe - an unpleasant man Go tell me what you saw?
she is dead.
(How many men know about violence around them and don't talk about it?)
The slogan on the benches that aims to shout "danger" also addresses that woman, who suffers from violence, who lives under terror in her own home - the same woman who remembers the police phone number very well.
She doesn't call the police because she "doesn't like it", but because she is scared to death, and probably knows, even if only in her gut, that the chances are that her complaint case will be closed due to lack of evidence, knows that her husband knew she complained, and knows what will happen when he returns home.
And she mostly knows that the main option the state offers her is to go to a shelter.
While logic says, and also the law in any case that it is not violence against women - the one who hurt is the one who is removed from the environment, and not the other way around.
How many men have murdered women, even though complaints have been made about them in the past, even though they were known to the system 1?
4?
15?
When will we realize that it's not a bug - it's a feature?
Something built into the system - policy?
I feel that the world dominated by men is not really doing everything that can be done to prevent violence against women, because among us - when they want to do something - they do it. Less important things are done all the time, budgets are found when needed, projectors are appointed and new positions are created. But violence against women remains.
Campaign to prevent violence against women (photo: screenshot, Facebook)
A topic that came up quite a bit on the program "The Chosen Ones" that was broadcast here, in which female politicians past and present talked about the difficulty of passing laws and creating change when you're always in the minority - it's almost as if those in power are not interested in the balance of power really changing - and that's it, and why should they?
All the power is with them, why should they give it up in favor of equality, if all that is required of them when something terrible happens in the world, is to let the rest of the world know that they "condemn" it, by allocating money to the campaign?
Maybe we should think about another channel of investment alongside campaigns - lobbying.
There is no company, no body, almost no idea in the world today that is not backed by a strong, sometimes hidden, lobby that advises and directs government policy.
(It is impossible to talk about a women's lobby without mentioning the "Sexual Violence Prevention Lobby", a donation-based civil organization that changes reality every day).
Maybe we, as women, need a lobby that will spread information, pass laws and regulations,
Sheee
Sheee-tok
Tags
women
sexual harassment