Don’t be silent! Don’t be indifferent! EUAM calls for end to gender-based violence on International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
November 25, 2016According to the United Nations, one in two women in Ukraine has been the victim of violence in various forms, including physical or sexual abuse, bullying, harassment, degrading treatment or taking advantage of economic dependence.
The EU Advisory Mission Ukraine (EUAM) works with Ukraine’s law enforcement and rule of law institutions to advocate for prioritising the fight against domestic violence as well as deliver training and advice on the subject. On 21 November 2016 for example, two presentations on the role of the prosecution service in bringing abusers to justice were given at the National Academy of the Public Prosecution Office in Kyiv. On 21-24 November, EUAM delivered two 2-day training sessions on handling gender based and domestic violence cases in Kharkiv, which were attended by 24 Patrol Police officers and MoIA University representatives. On 1-2 December 2016, EUAM will provide a training session with the OSCE/ODIHR in Odesa on increasing the effectiveness of police responses to sexual and gender-based violence.
“The EU Advisory Mission works to assist our Ukrainian partners to ensure that Ukrainian women, children and men are protected by the law as well as state authorities. Gender-based violence often happens behind closed doors, which makes it all the more important that the authorities have the right tools to identify and prosecute abuse. It’s time to make eliminating violence against women a top priority,” said Kęstutis Lančinskas, Head of EUAM.
To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women – 25 November – EUAM released a short video which confronts some of the stereotypical proverbs about violence against women and calls for an action to confront violence against women.
