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In three days we will celebrate International Women’s Day and tomorrow, the European Council will host a conference on “Violence against women across the EU: Abuse at home, work, in public and online” – this topic is unfortunately not new. As Social Platform, we will support one of our members – the European Women’s Lobby- to establish 2016 as the EU Year to End Violence Against Women and to ensure that the EU combats all forms of violence against women.

Unfortunately violence against women is a terrible reality which is still not high enough on the political agenda. According to the EIGE, “only 7 countries have developed protocols on sexual violence for their police force. Only 6 countries have a helpline for women victims of violence available 24 hours and free of charge. Only one in five have identified good practice assessment criteria for awareness raising campaigns on domestic violence”.

The word I am missing from the two paragraphs above is the word “men”. Where are we in this struggle? I cannot help but think that if it is a women’s right to be free from violence, it is a man’s responsibility to refrain from committing it. In fact: it is a man’s responsibility to be at the side of women in ensuring a life free from violence.

If you take the example of the struggle against slavery and for civil rights in US history, you will notice that women have always been at the forefront at all major stages of emancipation and freedom. Always there, thinking, speaking, leading, organising the movement for freedom and equality. Unfortunately, history books have taken some time in acknowledging this role. It is a fact that women have always stood beside men in the fight for freedom and liberty and yet they have been left to fight alone when it comes to their freedom from violence, equality in the work place, equal sharing of housework.

It is more than time that as men we stand up next to women. If it is a woman’s fight, it’s a man’s responsibility.  We need more male ambassadors to combat violence against women. Women shall be at the forefront of this struggle while we as men we stand by them, reflecting about our behaviour, speaking, leading, organising the movement for a place free of violence. It’s a minimum requirement.

If we fight at their side, we –women and men – shall overcome one day. But let’s not wait for too long as this is a struggle that has taken far too much time already.

Let’s engage

Pierre Baussand – Director