International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women - Questioning our Culture

Posted on: 25 November 2022 by Rhianna Thompson-Smith in Blog

To mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Criminology & Sociology student Rhianna Thompson-Smith writes about the importance of taking a stand against gender-based violence.

In my first year of studying Sociology and Criminology at the University of Liverpool, I had a module about social change in contemporary society, with a focus on changing inequalities. A large section of this module was centred on feminism and women’s rights. Whilst I have always been passionate about these topics, when it came to writing an essay on the challenges to women’s inequality and why we still need feminism, I was shocked to discover that the main issues women face are acts of violence; physical, domestic and sexual.

The UN states that violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world. Throughout my studies, I found myself asking why violence seems to be a part of the female experience for so many? Why is it that women must fear more about their bodies being infringed upon or suffering abuse in their relationships? Furthermore, why are these issues not treated as endemic in societies that fail to address these questions? Women and girls find themselves embedded in a culture where violence against them is normalised through the media; films, television, music. In my research, I found that women were more likely to be shown suffering acts of violence (which was usually defended as being in the name of realism) than they were shown to have body hair. When we understand the kind of messages that are being reinforced before us every day, we may begin to see why violence is a central issue for women in society.

A relevant case to look at when thinking about this violence is the Sarah Everard case, which occurred in March of 2021. It was a horrific incident of sexual and physical violence, resulting in the death of a young woman who was walking home alone one night. What followed was an outpouring of advice for women, which we have heard our whole lives...don’t walk alone at night, wear bright colours, make sure your phone is fully charged, call the police if you feel really unsafe. However, this sparked backlash and a social media movement. Finally, people began to question why responsibility for violent acts was being placed on the victims.

This is precisely why we cannot do without feminism in today’s society, despite attempts to iron out this belief. It’s why we need days like this to further reject victim-blaming narratives and address the presence and root causes of our society's endemic violence towards women.The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women draws much needed focus to things we should be talking about year-round and advocates for investing in strong, autonomous feminist movements.

Find out more

Visit the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women website