Violence must stop

Violence must stop

B92:  Can you tell us a bit more about the background of the campaign?  How did such a high European body decide to deal with such an issue that is very often a part of tradition, especially in more traditional societies?

Davis:  Well if beating up women is a tradition anywhere in Europe, it’s a tradition we need to change.  You’re absolutely right, it’s all across Europe.  It’s a problem in all these countries.  Because the Council of Europe is the biggest European organization with forty-six member countries, that’s why it’s our job to deal with it, especially since the Council of Europe is focused on issues of human rights, and this is an abuse of human rights.  Women being subjected to violence in the home is an abuse of human rights, and it’s not enough to just punish abusers of human rights.  We need to prevent it.  We need to change the way society thinks, and that’s what this campaign is about.

B92:  What are the goals of the campaign?

Davis:  Well really we’re talking about three different but connect groups of people.  First there is the government, and what we’re trying to do in this campaign is to get governments to realize that they need to do more than pass laws.  Of course laws are important, but we need more than that.  We need to have facilities to support women who have been victims of domestic violence. By this campaign we’ve been exchanging information, so governments will learn from each other, what they do, what is successful, what is less successful. 

And the second group we’re talking to is of course the women themselves – the women who are the victims.  Lots of women are ashamed and frightened, and do not come forward, do not seek help.  We need to explain that other people out side the home are willing to support them and help them. We need to make sure they now how they can get help and where to go to get it.  That’s very important, to give confidence to the victims. 

And the third group we’re talking to is, of course, all of us – the public, the people of Europe.  Its not enough to just simplify it in theory, if you turn a deaf ear from the screams coming next door, or turn a blind eye to what’s going on across the street.  People should interfere.  They should say, “Stop it.”  And so we’re trying to create a different climate.  There are many countries where domestic violence may not be approved of but it is accepted.  Well we need to make clear that it is not acceptable.  And we need to stand together.  This is a campaign to get men to protect women, other women, not just a campaign for women to protect women.

B92:  Today in your speech you mentioned three key words of the campaign: inform, help, empower.

Davis:  Yes I think those are, if you want to put it in three words, what it’s about – inform, help, empower.  To inform government, and inform the public, and above all inform the victims of where they can go.  Help, by providing the facilities for women who need help.  And empower, well that’s to empower all of us.  That’s to give all of us the strength, the moral strength to say, “No, stop it.” 

B92:  Has the Council of Europe considered setting an agenda, a set of rules, for every member state to fulfill, not only theoretically, but in practice. Not only to measure the number of seminars, trainings and such, but very, very concrete, particular and measurable improvements after the end of the campaign.

Davis:  Well we have long before this campaign… Two years ago we had a recommendation agreed on by all our member countries, not rules, recommendations, guidelines, what should be done in every country, a check list if you like for people to look at, and for governments to look at to make sure they’re covering the whole field of possibilities.  But that’s our approach.  The Council is more interested in helping, encouraging governments do what they know they what to do, and know what they should do, rather than simply imposing rules on them.  So we already have a rule because we have a convention on human rights, that says we will all protect the human rights of people in Europe, not just he citizens of our own countries but the citizens of all other countries.  That’s an agreed position of all countries that joined the Council of Europe.  They’ve all accepted that.  So we have enough rules in my opinion.  We have enough standards.  People know it’s wrong to attack other people, to abuse other people, to assault other people.  All we need to do is do something about that.

B92:  The position of the Council of Europe is that domestic violence is fundamentally a human rights issue not a feminist issue or something that is very often mentioned by women’s groups?

Davis:  Yes I know some women’s groups see it as a feminist issue but most of us don’t.  We see it as an issue for everybody.  It’s an issue for men as well as women.  It’s an issue for all human beings.   It’s a matter of human rights not feminine rights.