On 17 December 1999, the United Nations General Assembly designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and invited governments, international organizations and NGOs to organize activities designed to raise public awareness of the problem day. Women’s activists have marked 25 November as a day against violence since 1981.
The Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations (MCWO), as an affiliate of the European Women’s Lobby (EWL), wishes to join the international community in condemning all forms of violence against women.
The EWL in its position paper on violence against women adopts the United Nations definition in that “Gender-based violence against women is violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately, and includes acts that inflict physical, mental or sexual harm or suffering, threats of such acts, coercion and other deprivations of liberty”. Furthermore, The UN Beijing Platform for Action (1995), endorsed by all EU Member States, states that “violence against women is a manifestation of the historically unequal power relations between men and women, which have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men and to the prevention of women’s full advancement”.
Counting all forms of male violence against women, 45% of women in Europe have been subjected to and suffered from men’s violence. Between 40 and 50% of women in the European Union report some form of sexual harassment in the workplace; it is estimated that every fifth woman in Europe has been subjected to male domestic violence.
Male violence against women impacts on the whole society. Indeed, it is estimated that the total annual cost of domestic violence in the 27 Member States of the EU could be as high as 16 billion Euros, amounting to 1 million Euros every half hour, whereas the annual budgets of EU Member States for prevention programmes of male violence are 1000 times less. Malta is not immune and Maltese women suffer similar experiences.
MCWO hopes the publication in the coming weeks of a study on this area of concern commissioned by the Commission on Domestic Violence will shed more light on the prevalence of domestic violence.
In the meantime, the MCWO, with the support of US Ambassador Douglas Kmiec, is organising an event to raise awareness on the importance of fighting this scourge within the context of addressing gender equality in all sectors and at all levels of Maltese society. This fund raising concert and reception will be held at the Ambassador’s residence on Wednesday 8th December 2010. For more information, phone 99426238.
