“Gender-based violence: a guide to understanding and taking action” – Equipop has produced this short guide, published today, as an invitation to join this incredible movement against gender-based violence.
One in three women worldwide has been a victim of physical or sexual violence. Insults, beatings, rape, mutilation, child marriage, femicide... the continuum of violence is vast. This gender-based violence, which could just as accurately be called patriarchal violence, should not be considered as mere individual deviance. It is closely linked to sexism and male domination. This is the perspective adopted in the following pages. From #Niunamenos to #Bringbackourgirls and #YoTeCreoVzla, from #Stopexcision to #Strengthtosayno, since 2017 and #MeToo, hashtags have flourished on social media to denounce gender-based violence. This momentum has given international legitimacy to the mobilizations that have existed for centuries on this issue and has fueled new energy.
Beyond general awareness, the success of this fight requires a concerted and sustained effort by all actors in our societies, across all sectors (health, education, police, justice).
As activists, associations, or movements, we have an important role to play.
Equipop has designed this short guide as an invitation to play our part in this tremendous movement. It provides some keys to better understanding what this violence entails and illustrates, through a list of actions, how we can help prevent and deal with it. Gender-based violence is neither acceptable nor inevitable. By joining forces, we can reduce it. That is our power and our responsibility.
