Europe at Present [Spring 2003]

5. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

In today's Europe, women are still being beaten, threatened, bought, sold, prostituted and killed, simply because they are women. Violence cuts across all cultural, national and class boundaries. A Dutch survey found that one in five women had been subjected to physical violence by a partner or ex-partner. The figure in Portugal was one in two. Available data suggests that, across the Union, one woman in every four has been the victim of violence at some time in her life.⁶⁶⁰

Violence against women can take physical, sexual and emotional forms. For women, violence may also involve restrictions on their physical movements, such as not being allowed to leave the house, or being timed when they go to the shops, or not being allowed to take up employment. Violence includes economic deprivation, such as never being allowed to handle money or not having access to their own earnings or their own state benefit entitlements. Women's children may also be directly attacked physically or sexually, or emotionally harmed through the way they and their mothers are treated⁶⁶¹

Surveys taken in the European Union countries show a massive condemnation of violence, and in particular sexual violence, against both women and children. A vast majority of the Europeans are aware of the fact that this problem exists and they also hold the view that this type of violence is fairly widespread. However, most people have become aware of the problem through information in the media (89% through television, 65% by press and 44% through radio), while the subject still seems to be little discussed among friends and family. Only few claim to know any victim of violence.The findings give a lot of positive signals. Firstly, of course, the fact that there is such a widespread knowledge of the existence of this

problem. And secondly that almost all Europeans find violence against women and children unacceptable.⁶⁶²

The fact that most people have learned about this problem through the media, and that it seems to be seldom talked about among friends and family, indicates that the problem is still subject to certain taboos. These crimes are happening in our neighborhood and contrary to popular belief the perpetrator is in most cases someone close to the victim".⁶⁶³

Far from being a safe place, home is often the most dangerous place of all.⁶⁶⁴Violence to women in their homes from known men is the most common form of violence against women. Estimates vary, but data suggests that a large percentage of women are subject to this form of control and domination. According to the surveys one European in two thought that this type of violence was fairly common (50%), one in four (24%) that it was very common and only 19% answered not very common or not at all common.⁶⁶⁵In Ireland in 1998, over half of all women murdered were killed by their partners or husbands. In Austria, 50 percent of divorces are filed on the grounds of violence against women. As for Finland, 22 per cent of women have suffered violence by their partners.⁶⁶⁶Figures show that in Spain over 50% of total accusations of personal violence concern violence against wives by their husbands. Most of the violence to women takes place within the family, and only a small proportion of it reaches the statistics, as it is often regarded as an internal, private matter with no information given to outsiders. Violence in the family is the most common cause of violent deaths among women, more common than all other causes put together. Work-related violence is the second most common locus of violence for women. Half of all violent deaths of women are caused by their husbands (Statistics Finland, 1995). Studies on women also draw attention to rape and other sexual assaults, incest, harassment, threats, abduction, and homicide. Representational forms of violence, including pornography, may be used to create a harassing home or work environment. It is estimated that a majority of women are seriously victimised in one or more of these ways, sometime during their lives.⁶⁶⁷

More than two out of three Europeans (67%) felt that the European union should definitely get involved in combating domestic violence against women. However, 79% were unaware of any such policy measures put forward by the EU.⁶⁶⁸

As for the causes of domestic violence the most cited by the Europeans were alcohol (96%), drug addiction (94%), unemployment (79%), poverty/social exclusion (73%), having oneself been a victim of violence (73%).⁶⁶⁹Contrary to some people's expectations, poverty and lack of education are not significant factors. In this respect, official crime statistics may be misleading because reporting rates and conviction rates appear to be higher amongst low-income groups. If anything, the incidence of domestic violence seems to increase with income and educational achievement. That was the surprising finding of a Dutch study, corroborated by surveys in Finland and Italy, where almost half of all those who commit violence against their partners, are holders of a university degree Domestic violence cannot be dismissed or properly dealt with as a drink or drug-related problem. To judge from the available evidence, a surprisingly small proportion of violence is committed when the perpetrator is drunk or has taken drugs.⁶⁷⁰

Contrary to the European Union countries, in the Russian mentality, domestic violence has never been considered a crime. It’s Russians’ favourite adage, 'If he beats you, that means he loves you'. That's why it is so important to get women to realize that it's not right to be beaten. And even when a woman finally understands what is right, tens of years can go by before she seeks help.⁶⁷¹The problem seems to be neglected though the statistics are really scarying. The statistical data is as follows: 80% of all violent crimes are cases of domestic violence, there are between twelve to fifteen thousand cases of rape per year, and approximately 14,000 women are killed by their family members per year, primarily by their husbands. Research shows that about 2 million children under the age of 14 are beaten by their parents annually.⁶⁷²

Russian men prone to violence often refuse to see their actions as criminal, and they receive more understanding than condemnation from the police, who regularly fail to file complaints about what they call "private family affairs."⁶⁷³ This is partly due to the non-specific nature of the Russian legal provisions and partly due to police unwillingness to deal with such cases. The police refuse to register complaints from women victims of domestic violence, citing the absence of witnesses and the legal invalidity of a doctor’s medical evidence. According to accounts of women who turn to crisis centres, the police usually refuse to respond to information concerning domestic violence. Data show that 40% of victims of violence do not turn to law enforcement agencies because they do not believe those bodies can recognise and punish acts of violence Police officers often intentionally procrastinate and refuse to send victims for a medical examination, which makes it more difficult to punish a perpetrator since material evidence are perishable. Since Russian legislation does not provide a protective program for witnesses and victims, they are at risk of being contacted by the rapist and the rapist’s relatives and friends. A victim can be forced to withdraw her application and, significantly, according to data provided by a police officer in Murmansk, 70% of women who submit applications con-cerning domestic violence, including rape, subsequently withdraw them.⁶⁷⁴A 1998 report on violence and women in Russia by Human Rights Watch -- based on interviews with the abusers as well as the abused -- showed that the prevailing mentality tends to see victims as "deserving" their fate.⁶⁷⁵

Women in Russia are very dependent. That's a change over the past years because a lot of women now don't work. In Soviet times, that was not so. Everyone worked under the same conditions. Now a man often forces his wife to leave her job to take care of him and their children. And then, when she wants to leave him, she is unable to divorce because she owns nothing and has not the slightest hope of earning money.⁶⁷⁶

Work-related violence is the second most common locus of violence for women.⁶⁷⁷This problem is very serious in Russia. Specialists stated that in 35% of private firms in Moscow the major step in climbing the employment ladder for women is the bed. In looking at the job search section of a newspaper you will see, practically everywhere, notices such as "except intimacy" or "intimacy is not offered." Because of the crisis on the labour market and growing unemployment, women often have to agree on such conditions.In the Criminal Code, Russian Federation, (CC RF), there exists a law which prohibits utilization of an office position and material dependence for coersion of sexual interactions (Article 118, current CC RF). However, in practice, the courts do not examine these issues. Until 1990, there were annually 20-25 legal cases regarding this article; in the beginning of 1990, there were no more than 2-3 cases; and in 1994 there was not one case. Finally, the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace, in spite of its sharpness and widespreading, proves to be a social, invisible, ''transparent problem". In fact, a low percentage of victims of sexual harassment apply to the courts, and a high percentage of crimes are hidden (analogously to rape). The reason for this is that victims of sexual harassment do not know their rights, they are afraid of publicity and undesirable consequences. They also do not believe in the possibility of receiving legal protection. In addition, due to society's widely-held patriarchal stereotypes, a victim of sexual harassment quite often condemns herself for her employment surroundings and perceives that she with provokes these surroundings. The woman does not see herself as victimized. Not only men, but women and judges are not free from similar stereotypes in a majority of cases.⁶⁷⁸

6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Women, as it has been shown, have to face obstacles, which for men don’t exist, while seeking a job or trying to enter politics. As far as labour market is concerned, the most common cases of discrimination concern lower pay for women, often despite their better qualifications, and unequal attitude to women seeking a job (questions about marital status, family situation, potential pragnancy etc.). Women often realize that to get a job or enter the politics they must be much better educated than men while trying to get the same post. This is one of the reasons that in some European countries women are better educated if we concider the persentage of people with higher education.

As far as politics are concerned, the differencies between countries are quite big. It is visible especially while comparing Nordic and Southern countries of Europe. One of the reasons is the women’s attitude to politics, another one is the attitude towards women in politics. The traditional role of a mother and the stereotypical picture of housewife are still the obstacles that women have to face in everyday life in many European countries. However, some positive changes may be seen in most of the European countries. The persentage of women in parliaments and goverments still grows.

Although the situation has positively changed as far as politics, work and education are concerned, the problem of violence against women is still very serious. Presented statistics show how widespread this phenomenon is. This is the most common human rights violation in Europe. Although most Europeans are aware of the problem, they don’t realize that it exists in their neighbourhood, that the victims are often their friends and family. Many people may think that violence against women concerns mainly developing countries, that it is the problem of poor societies. However, the statistics show that this phenomenon widely exists also in developed countries and is not only connected with alcoholism or drug abuse as it is commonly believed. It is difficult to discuss the improvement of the situation of women in education, politics or on the labour market while remembering that a high persentage of women is still exposed to sexual abusement, domestic violence, trafficking, prostitution etc.