Gender-based violence

Other victim in Madrid.

"The music was very high"

Gender-based violence is a term used for the violence inflicted usually by men on women and girls, but it can also be by a woman to another man. No matter what gender inflict the damage, only matter that is against the other gender. This type of violence can  imply rapes, violence in relationships, insults… There are two general types : physiology and physical violence.  It’s not just about injuring the other person’s body, it can cause they feel lower and lost a big part of their self esteem, which can be really dangerous.

Last 20th may, at 5:00 am, a pretty girl was leaving a concert in Madrid. When she was walking down the street, she felt that someone was following her. She decided to stop and talk with that person, it was a young guy. Like she tough, he was following her since she left the concert, and then he said to her some insults like: “bitch”, “maid” or  “dirty bastard”.

Lena, the victim, decided to run, but the attacker followed and hit her many times. The next day, the neighbours affirmed that they have seen the murder, but at the moment, nobody talk and nobody call the police, because of the fear they were feeling. (Something that usually happens in witness ) . One day later, the police investigated and found information in Lena’s mobile phone. The profile photo of a person that talked with her just three days before the attack, coincided with the description that the neighbours gave the last day about the boy. A young, tall and strong guy, with no more than twenty seven years old. He had got black hair, blue eyes and he wore a black jacket with jeans. Thanks to the messages, the police discovered something important: the guy was Lena’s ex-boyfriend. He didn’t accept when she broke off with him, and he started stalking her until he kill her after the concert.

This is a big tragedy, but it’s real that there are several cases of gender-based violence along every year. Even if not all cases end up with the death of one person, it’s true that all the victims suffer a lot and we shouldn’t tolerate this violence anymore.

Carmen Peñalver. Uso libre. "Manos Protesta"

If you feel some violence, or gender-based violence, you must talk with somebody, you will have help, don’t worry, you can call at number 016 in Spain and you will be save for sure. No silence, no violence.


Sources:

Europen Instituto for Gender Equality, ‘What is gender-based violence? | EIGE’. [Online]. Available: http://eige.europa.eu/gender-based-violence/what-is-gender-

   based-violence. [Accessed: 22-May-2017]. 
Duke University, ‘What Is Gender Violence? | Duke Student Affairs’. [Online]. Available: https://studentaffairs.duke.edu/wc/gender-violence/what-gender-violence. [Accessed: 22-May-2017].

By editors: Alba Piñeiro and Carmen Peñalver.