Two seemingly unrelated stories in the New York Times about violence against women in two different European countries demonstrate that if you just listen to women, they’ll tell you what they need to fix a problem. A while the answer is usually more help from the government, women usually point to different solutions than just creating new laws to regulate offenders.
In Italy, Prime Minister Enrico Letta has proposed much tougher laws against domestic violence abusers – what he calls “femicide.” In 2012, the United Nations said that the country “must do more to protect women from violence and urgently address the underlying structural causes of gender inequality and discrimination,” calling out the usual issues, such as underreported attacks and complicated legal systems. Since then, it appears that the government has worked hard to arrest attackers and properly try them.
But women say Italy has continued to fall short on providing resources to help the victims of these attacks:
Italy does not need tougher laws, the critics say, because existing legislation is adequate, if arbitrarily applied. What is missing, they contend, is a better-organized, better-financed network of psychological, legal and financial assistance for women who decide to leave an abusive relationship.
They’d prefer more emergency housing, as well as money and resources available after they get out of whatever violent relationship they’re in. What’s standing in the way? Primarily the European recession; though it’s been labeled “over” by some, rebuilding robust economies is going to take a lot longer than any one involved would like and aid for women in low on the priority list when you’ve got an unemployment rate hovering around 12 percent in Italy.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
