Say “NO” to women abuse

25.11.2016

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

November 25th is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which says openly "no" to violence, as with its annual celebration we rely on this message to reach more people. The day is celebrated around the world and in 1999 was declared by the UN as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.40-50% of women in the European Union are physically abused or home. Every fourth Bulgarian was suffering from domestic violence.White ribbons - symbol for empathy with the fight against the aggression toward women.

Often when we hear the word "violence", we imagine the physical side - fists and kicks, accompanied by the occasional bad word. The next picture is swollen face, blue circles around the eyes, bleeding or split lip, hematoma, bruising and marks on the body. But that's not all of it, there is another hidden side - the psychological violence that is much more severe in terms of the suffering of the victims and the path that they must take in order to normalize their existence and get back to normal activities and lifestyle.

TYPES OF VIOLENCE

CONSEQUENCESSilence:

A consequence from the violence is psychological trauma - silence. Women victims of violence are making strenuous efforts to cover it up. The experienced pain and humiliation live only in the mind of the woman.

Silence is a form of protecting your ego, the good image of yourself. On one hand you want to "forget" about the violence, as if it never happened. On the other hand there is a need to speak, and thus be relieved from

the heavy memories.Guilt:

The sense that the victim is guilty, experienced as a personal conviction. She lives with the thought that her actions are wrong and she is responsible for the bad behavior of the oppressor, and that she encourages

him. The victim believes that if she changes and becomes "better“, the violence will stop.Loss of faith in yourself:

Due to isolation and lack of "world interactions", traumatized people are often portrayed as passive or helpless. The prolonged captivity destroys the sense of security and autonomy. The victims of violence

regard any action as an act of disobedience that carries the risk of punishment. Over time most decision making is left to the abuser. The victim loses its ability for autonomy and begins to feel helpless and unable

to cope alone.State of dependency:

Victims may predict violence, but cannot escape from it. They are psychologically bound by a particular emotional and diminishing to their own personality way with the abuser. He has a strong obsessive power over his victim and abuses his position of defender and guardian. This confuses the concepts of good and evil to the person under his authority. Since the victim is isolated, she becomes more dependent on the

abuser.

On 21.04.2016 Bulgaria signed the Convention of the Council of Europe on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic abuse (Istanbul Convention). Our country joined the Istanbul Convention. Ekaterina Zaharieva signed on behalf of Bulgaria. Joining the Convention, we are obliged to take measures to prevent and tackle all forms of violence caused by gender inequality. The ceremony was attended by Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland. He was in Sofia for the international conference of justice ministers of the member states of the Council of Europe. 38 countries have approved the document so far and 24 of them are EU members.

Convention of the Council of Europe on preventing and combating violence against

women and domestic abuse

How to prevent violence in 3 easy steps

Step 3If you notice a woman is being abused-

HELP HER

Step 2Respect your fellow student, teacher, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister…

Step 1Do not be an abuser: DO NOT BULLY, DO NOT HIT, DO NOT HUMILIATE

UN invited governments, international organizations and NGOs to organize activities to raise public attention to the problems of the Day to international concern. Women worldwide are subjected to violence and the scale and the true nature of this problem often remains hidden.

I would like to smile and be happy again.