MEN NEED TO SPEAK UP

Slightly more than half the world’s population is female. So here’s what this majority can expect in their lives:

One in three women has been on the receiving end of some form of physical or sexual violence from males; almost 40 percent of females who are murdered are killed by male intimate partners. That’s people they knew, trusted, loved and lived with; in contrast, only five percent of murdered males are killed by female intimate partners. An estimated 15 million adolescent girls have been forced into sex against their will at some point in their lives, and only 77 countries have laws explicitly criminalising marital rape.That’s a sobering set of statistics, exacerbated by the fact that the perpetrator is almost always an intimate partner. Not strangers, not predators, but rather husbands, boyfriends and fathers. Unfortunately it’s only getting worse. Although COVID-19 lockdowns have seen a surge in calls to domestic violence helplines, in reality violence against women, both physical and sexual, has been a grim reality for women and girls since the dawn of time. It probably doesn’t help that many world leaders see misogyny and chauvinism as virtues to be proud of rather than ashamed of, something to boast about rather than eliminate. Donald Trump’s assertion that he has a divine right to grab a woman by any part of their body, sadly confirms that gender-based violence is very much a male problem. So it’s men that need to start addressing the problem. A good start would be for the EU institutions to pressure those Member States that haven’t ratified the Istanbul Convention and to take stronger action against those EU capitals looking to reverse equality gains. As we approach the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, we urge our readers, particularly male readers, to read, take note of and forward to others our articles in this issue on the subject. Perhaps even following the example of Polish MEP Sylwia Spurek’s partner, Dr. Marcin Anaszewicz, who this year is standing up against gender violence. Alongside Sylwia, he explains to our Deputy Editor Lorna Hutchinson that, “Violence against women is not only a problem for women, it’s a problem for men, as they are the main perpetrators of such violence.”