The European solution

Laws form only one strand of the EU's effort to curb violence against women

Another Women's Day has gone by and we are still a long way from stemming gender-based violence, the most brutal manifestation of discrimination. Globally, this form of discrimination is both cause and consequence of gender inequality. Two recent incidents in different parts of the world have shaken our collective conscience: the horrific sexual assault and murder of two young women, one in India in December, and the other in South Africa in February. Countless other cases across the world have gone unreported or under-reported.

Now is the time to accelerate measures to stamp out all forms of violence against women and girls and push the agenda of gender equality. Custom, tradition, culture, privacy, religion or so-called honour cannot be invoked to justify violence. Neither can states avoid their obligations to prevent, eliminate and effectively prosecute the perpetrators of such crimes. The protection of women in conflict situations and ending impunity in such crimes must be a priority.

But how successfully can we fight gender violence? Is capital punishment an answer? Experience in the Philippines has shown that this deterrence measure has limited effect and negative consequences. The reinstitution of capital punishment in the 1980s led to more cases of homicide — offenders killed the rape victims to take out witnesses.

Only by eliminating the root causes of inequity, such as the power imbalance between women and men, can we arrive at any solution. The promotion of gender equality and ensuring basic human rights for women and girls must be important goals. The EU has put in place comprehensive policies aimed at ensuring women an equal role and rights to participate in political, economic and social life. These policies are geared towards helping them reconcile their professional and private lives, so that both women and men can achieve equal and genuine economic independence. What is still needed is a change in perception: women should be viewed as strong and independent rather than "weak and vulnerable'', an idea that still prevails.

... contd.

ALSO READ

Read between the LAC

Socially networked election

Phantom democracy

Some chit chat