The EU delegation is against violence in Ukraine
44 PERCENT OF UKRAINIANS ARE VICTIMS...
The heads of the European Union delegation to Ukraine and Ukraine’s Ministry on Family, Youth, and Sport welcomed the start of the new social campaign “I’m against violence!”, aimed at uniting over 200,000 people in the entire country for a public protest against all forms of domestic violence, reports the EU delegation to Ukraine. The campaign will be continued on billboards and in the Internet, and also with outdoor publicity activities. Volunteers will participate in national festivals, they will work on beaches and streets of big cities, where they will encourage others to wear the symbol of the protest — a pink bracelet with the words “I’m against violence!”
In August, 200,000 of these bracelets (and also a big amount of virtual bracelets, which social networks users in the Internet can attach to their photos) will be distributed. The pink bracelet is a bright symbol called to bring up the only simple message: I refuse to be a victim, I refuse cruelty and tolerating cases of cruelty in my own family or among my friends.
“All countries of the world face the problem of domestic violence. But it depends on the attitude of the society whether a victim will be able to find help and the offender will be punished according to the law. In Ukraine gender stereotypes and the opinion that violence is a solely family affair is deeply entrenched in society. The European Union, together with the government of Ukraine, work to change the attitude to domestic violence,” stated Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira, the head of the EU delegation to Ukraine.
Statistics show that about half of Ukrainian women suffer from some form of violence at home. It’s extremely difficult to get precise figures due to the wall of silence surrounding this problem. The number of domestic violence victims in Ukraine is much bigger than that of other crimes or car accidents taken together. The worst is that this problem involves not only adult women. Many of those who are cruel to their partners treat children in their family the same way.
Many victims never appeal for help. And even those who dare to break the wall of silence very often don’t know who to go to. As Svitlana Tolstoukhova, the deputy minister of Ukraine’s Ministry on Family, Youth and Sport, pointed out: “Within the framework of the campaign a wide-range informational work among the Ukrainian population will be held, and practical measures will also be taken to help victims of violence. As of today, over 20 centers for social and psychological assistance, and eight rehabilitation centers for victims of domestic violence work in all Ukraine. Moreover, within the campaign framework, information materials with practical advice to victims of violence will be distributed.”
http://www.day.kiev.ua/305397
