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International Day for Eliminating Violence Against Women – How to Help
- Evie Sheldon
- Nov 25, 2020
- 2 min read
Today, Wednesday November 25th, 2020 marks the international day for eliminating violence against women. From today, 16 days of activism will take place to try and eradicate the horrifying conditions that some women live through daily.
According to UN Women, over the past year 243 million women have suffered abuse from their partners. These numbers have risen due to the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing women to stay in toxic or abusive environments due to lockdowns and restrictions across the globe, paired with the fact that support services have been few and far between. Therefore, over the course of the next couple of weeks, supported, survivors, women-based charities and more are coming together to spread awareness whilst also working vigilantly to help and support women who are suffering in silence.
So, what can we do to help this movement and support women going through something so difficult? Obviously being in lockdown currently means that we can’t exactly do much in person, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do our research to ensure we are prepared if anybody in our social circle needs this kind of help. Often, women find it difficult to open up to family and friends if they are experiencing abuse, it can still be difficult to discuss years later. Because of this, we must ensure that we are as open and supportive as we can possibly be. We must listen to survivors, not question them or their experiences.
As well as working to ensure we are prepared in case someone we know needs support, we should also ensure that we’re calling out the media in any instances of promoting rape culture. Whilst it may not be apparent, rape culture still exists largely in the media we consume daily. If we have any chance of eliminating violence against women, we must speak out and protest media products that promote it. As more people stand against rape culture, the less it will be normalised and accepted.
If you’re looking for further ways to help support vulnerable women, donating to or spreading awareness of women’s charities is a great way to do so. Not everybody has the funds to be able to donate, which is completely okay, but bringing awareness and support to these charities can be just as good as a donation.
Doing any of these are great ways to help and support women who are going through traumatizing abuse or have survived it. Together, we can work towards a fair and equal world by working hard, staying vigilant and spreading support and awareness around the globe.
Links to Women’s charities you can support!
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